Echo on the Wind
by AzanathPatera666
Summary: What would have happened to the world if Croatoan did spread? Kevin is missing, Crowley's fighting for his throne, Croatoan has wiped out almost the entire universe. Now what could two women and a bunch of kids do to make his life that much easier? Rated M for Language and suggestive themes.
1. Chapter 1

Echo on the wind chapter 1

In the beginning it was hell

Nathalia pov

Click. The mute sound of my boots on wet, dank, blood soaked pavement, the government was here recently, that much is noticeable by the dead bodies everywhere and the blood spattering and coating the buildings, cars and other items strewn about.

This was once the bustling tourist city of Auburn, just outside the Sierra Nevada county line, now it's like the rest of the world. A living, or rather dead explanation of why the demons must be destroyed, the year is twenty fourteen and as predicted; Croatoan virus broke free of hell's confines through a lesser known Winchester named Adam. After the virus was set free humans worldwide became ravenous for blood and destruction, the streets became wild with panic as demons and people they'd know for years, rampaged killing off or infecting anyone they could get their hands on.

Now, six months later the world is left in ruins, a few handfuls of people managed to survive and evade the government who seeks out those who are healthy and recons them back to a decontamination base before experimenting on how they didn't contract the virus. Out of the few handfuls that aren't captured, well we either go off as lone wolves or congregate into different settlements that have gone into some of the most desolate and serene locations to try and start over again.

As for me, well, I spend my days traveling as I did last year, hunting demons so that I may capture and torture them, find out what they know on how to reverse this damage done to the our world.

RAAAAAAAEEEEEEERRRR! I the familiar screech of a fully advanced case of Croatoan virus, whirling around I see about fifteen or more Croat's chasing after a young girl heading straight for what is left of a Macy's store.

"ANNAAAA!" I hear the child screaming for someone that's probably familiar to them; in a flash my feet are carrying me after the Croats. Within seconds I've closed in on them, a gleaming streak of metal follows up my approach, the creature's heads tumble to the floor. Two more in front of me abandon the notion of going after a defenseless child only to come after me, I take a more defensive pose and pull out another sword.

The two infected humans lunge at me with fangs bared and ready to try and infect me as well, they never get the chance as I run directly between them with both swords pushed out to the sides lopping them completely in half with the greatest of ease.

A front flip has me tucking the blades back into their sheath, upon landing I snatch up the small child and make a run for the back office because there are more Croats coming in the front door.

Just as I reach the doorway I realize that I'm not gonna be able to get the kid to safety without both of us being captured. However there's a long bleach blonde haired woman inside that isn't infected so I sling the child to her via the still newly waxed floor.

She grabs hold of the baby girl as I pull out a different weapon, a hand grenade I raided from a slaughtered out military camp a few weeks back.

I pull the pin and throw the grenade out as I tuck myself into the room and slam the door shut, within two seconds flat I have a metal framed chair acting as a lock underneath the industrial lock. With that I find myself diving forward to cover the woman and child. The grenade detonates so I move away from both innocent humans drawing a gun on both just in case they decide to attack me even though I've just saved both of them.

"Please don't hurt us…we aren't going to attack you." The blonde says, it's now I realize she's only sixteen and seeming very defenseless.

"We've done nothing to disturb you, just leave." I hear from the manager's office to my right, looking that way I see a woman who is in her early twenties; she wears a black pair of skinny jeans that are worn to a frazzle and a very worn and bloodied Slayer T shirt. She's the image of what I used to be like as a young teenager.

I holster my twin revolvers and extend a hand to her. "Nathalia Colt." I make the introduction moving in such a way I seem less threatening than I was a moment before.

The red and black haired woman before me looks at me wearily before accepting the introduction. "Annalisa Victoria Harlem." She introduces herself, I know by one look into her hazel green eyes that we will make a great team.

"Are you the leader in this group?" My question brings her to complete ease. "Yes, I am. Where is your group?" Anna asks looking out the small, now blown out window of the door I came in through, she appears to be searching for my followers which are nonexistent. "I don't have one, I travel alone. However I do help women and children find sanctuary in settlements." I reply to her as if offering to help her do this task.

"There are settlements? I thought there we're just traveling groups…nomads." The girl I slung the child to interjects.

"There aren't many, maybe a half dozen on the west coast, only a few of those are even worth the time to go to for help. There is one not far from here I've decided to investigate, if you wish to come with me I may be able to get you refuge there. All settlements want children around, after all. At this point Children literally are the future to mankind." My offer doesn't go unheard, more children than I thought possible to have lived start to walk out of different corners of this room and adjoining rooms.

All of them between the ages of seventeen as young as two, my heart throbs just a little knowing that Anna must have taken them under her care when their families died or we're captured into military camps.

"Anna, it's the best option we have. We've not eaten in days, and the snow will be falling any day now." The blonde I pulled a gun on says looking to Anna with pleading blue eyes.

"What do you want in exchange?" Anna asks accusingly. "Do I look like a woman in need?" I reply then turn for the door.

Anna pov

Tawny red dish water blonde hair, a scar going across her left eye looking as if someone almost took her life with a blade of some sort, the body of a nineteen fifties super model, built like a brick wall. I mean you can see the muscle in her torso under the mostly torn fish net body suit she wears under a well battered leather sports bra type top. It almost looks as if she took a leather jacket and sewed it herself, if she did you can barely tell.

For a cover of her lower body she's taken terribly worn down leather pants and sewn them up just right so they make extreme mini shorts. Under the short she wears a pair of leggings that appear to be made of different black snake skins, for the holes that have worn in those she's chosen to put on thick black leggings so in all she has to be warm enough.

Clinging to her feet are lace up combat boots that look like they may have had stiletto spiked heels at one point in time. But she broke them off to use them as combat boots, good idea I suppose, her hair is let down and in a wild mess. Strapped to several different belts are many different kinds of weapons, three guns, two swords, five hand grenades, some kind of steal nun chucks, and throwing stars.

"Nathalia, might I rummage for clothing?" I ask, hopefully she can understand my need to do this, I'm obviously not as savvy as she is when it comes to using animal skins and hand spun thread to make clothing.

She looks over her shoulder to me and the kids following us then back outside. "We all should look around." She amends as she reaches for the door to slide it shut flipping the lock. After the doors are secured shut she places a pole behind the door in the track so the doors can't be shoved open.

"Those suitcases over there? Do they roll?" She asks Brit, the sixteen year old she almost shot a few minutes ago. "Yes they do." Brit replies. "One of those should be filled with any food we can find that is still edible, the electricity is on so the freezers are still working, grab any frozen meat, if you can find salt grab that to. Anna take the older kids and look around for clothes for everyone in your group, little ones, ya know what your gonna do?" Nathalia asks crouching down to their height and taking a much friendlier tone with them.

"WHAT?! We get to help?!" Angela asks excitedly, she's seven and always eager to help me wherever she can.

"You sure do, see this? You need to all stick together and find all the items on this list." Nathalia says handing the brown haired girl a piece of paper.

"Yay!" Angela exclaims taking the paper and then running off into the store with the kids fast behind.

"If anyone runs into trouble…scream. I'm gonna go secure the building and mark it." Nathalia says before taking off towards the back rooms that would normally be off limits to people like us.

Dean Winchester pov

"Sam, we're running low on supplies, Bobby hasn't returned and the garden is dying quickly, half the live stock is either sick or starving to death. Winter is on its way in and we haven't found a single person who knows anything about medical problems that could even remedy a small portion of the sick people around here. It'll be a miracle if we make it through to the end of winter." I start off the meeting; the only people in here right now are mom, dad, Sam, Casstiel, Charlie and a friendly angel named Gadriel who found us after the angels crashed to earth.

"I may be able to use some of my power to strengthen the live stalk and regenerate the green house plants." Gadriel amends. "Okay get on that when we're done here. Casstiel, the cabin next door to you is complaining again about the smoke blowing into their living room, so either shut that window or out on your porch. Dad, mom, you guys need to try and get Bobby on a phone or something, we need to know where he is at right now." I order then stand up and head for the door thoroughly pissed that this entire village is falling apart before we even had a chance at getting started on surviving this disaster.

Sam pov

"Why does he always address the problems to you?" Gadriel asks from the other end of the table. "It's all he knows, dad died when we I was twenty, Dean's no thirty two and I'm now twenty seven…so for seven years any problem he had I also had." I amend as Dad tries to radio through to Bobby again.

"Singer, this is John would you answer damn it. We've got big problems here at home base." Dad says into the trucker radio that is programmed to Bobby's.

"Gotcha John, sorry for the radio silence, truck battery ran out. We're down in auburn getting ready to stop in at a store, figure to check it for supplies." Bobby replies, a feeling of relief floods over all of us upon hearing this.

"We? Got a mouse in your pocket, or a horse on the truck?" Dad asks trying to bring some humor to the stressful situation.

"Nope, got a few stray kids, some hunting dogs and a cat for the barn. Plus a ton of other supplies." Bobby replies through the radio.

"Alright, radio in when you're on your way here so we can warn the guards at the gate." Dad amends. "You got it. Over." Bobby comments, then both radio's go silent…..

Nathalia pov

"How long have you been alone?" Anna asks me the question and I give a bitter sweet smile. "Since the day I was born." I reply to her question, she frowns. "Well who raised you?" She asks sounding deeply saddened for me. "Foster homes mostly. I ran away when I was fifteen, bounced around from place to place hunting monsters saving people." I explain the typical life of a hunter.

"Monsters?" Anna asks and I give her a questioning look. "What you think these things are Zombies? This is all the work of a demon, well several demons, that meteor shower that happened the night before all this happened? That was every angel in heaven falling to earth, there's two men responsible for trying to fix this, the notorious Winchester brothers." I explain in a simple less lengthy story that would terrify all the kids following us.

"I had no idea; I thought the government did this by accident." Anna whispers as she looks around at the world in a whole new light, she's seeing this in a whole new feeling of terror and anger. Both feeling's I've long since become numb to, I really don't care about anyone or anything, the only reason I continue helping people is because I do want to cross paths with a Winchester and deliver the one item that is key to this whole mess being cleaned up.

I will never stop until this vial of angel grace is delivered back to its rightful owner, even if I have to take my last breath to get it to them, this war must end.

She's about to speak again but I quickly grab her by the elbow and shove her down a nearby alley way. "Take cover now!" I order back to the children, they all run down the alley way and I silently order them to hide in or behind the few dumpsters that are shoved down here.

I grab a single grenade from my belt and step back out in the middle of the street, up ahead there's a very large big rig loaded down with tons of supplies of different kinds. An heavy set older man is driving the rig, wearing a worn out faded baseball cap, and a red plaid shirt. In the passenger's seat are two men around seventeen or eighteen in age but in all very handsome and well built. There's a woman in the back part of the cab looking very scared and very pregnant.

The driver takes quick note of the grenade and stops his rig to step out, he puts his hands up show he has no weapons on him before he speaks.

"No harm coming from here mam, we're just passing through to the camp up in those mountains." He says nodding towards donner summit.

"You're heading towards Donner's summit?" I ask trying to confirm that this is indeed where he's going. "Yes, mam. Are you looking to get there as well? Cause I can say you won't get there on foot before them there clouds drop a few tons of snow on ya." The trucker says nodding up towards the sky.

"I'm not personally heading there to stay for any length of time, I'm leading a rogue group of children and their foster mother up there hoping for them to take residence." I explain the situation, the old timer looks around me at the desolate city.

"You travel alone?" He asks. "Yes, I do. When I'm not hunting Croats and helping people get to safety…My name is Nathalia." I introduce myself for a second time today, this is an aggravation to me, I really hate having to repeat myself.

"Bobby Singer." The old man says offering a handshake to me as I re-clip the grenade to my hip. "As in the Bobby Singer closely related to Dean and Sam Winchester?" I ask, he gives me a skeptical look as I accept his handshake.

"Depends on why you ask?" Singer questions suddenly being a bit more guarded, I give a laugh. "Trust me when I say I have no ill will towards them. I'm just trying to return two items that are rightfully theirs and might be a wee bit useful to their mission impossible." I explain to him, he nods that he hears but still doesn't seem to understand.

"I have someone's angel grace and the colt forty five….I'm Samuel Colt's great, great, great granddaughter." I explain to Bobby whose eyes light up.

"So you are a hunter…well, any hunter is more than welcome to our village, the Winchester boys are there. Take your group and climb on up, we'll give you a lift there." Mr. Singer offers, I look back to the alley way and beckon Anna forward.

"Mr. Singer this is Anna, she's the mother to the kids." I half hazard say as I start scooping up the youngest kids and handing them up onto the flat bed to the older kids who've already taken to getting onto the truck.

"Nathalia….here, mind keeping guard? We've had to chase off a few rogues from getting onto the truck." Bobby says holding up an AR-15 with a very long ammo chain on it. I smile wickedly and accept the weapon. With it in hand I climb up onto the flat bed as well then help Anna on board, once everyone is seated I climb up on top of the pallets with a very defiant, wicked smirk on my face I stand look out for anyone stupid enough to try and raid this truck….


	2. Chapter 2

Echo on the wind chapter 2

Love at first punch

Dean pov

I'm tossing out the last of the items that are definitely no longer useable to the village as Bobby pulls up to the back gates. Dad, mom and Cass are with Sam back at mom and dad's cabin discussing extending the green house we built and maybe getting a hot plate installed to heat up the snow and the green house so that the plants will survive just fine through the winter.

The back gate is heaved open by some of the guards that live here in this decrepit village, I'm greeted by the massive Big Rig that dad, Bobby and myself rebuilt. There are two men, a pregnant woman and Bobby in the cab. Then on the back of the flat bed is a full shipment of much needed items like medicine, food and other things of that nature. But that isn't what has my jaw dropping to the ground; it's the woman standing on top of the pallets of supplies.

She's dishwater blonde, hair stained pink with washed out blood, slender facial features, full luscious naturally red lips. The perfect hour glass body, toned stomach, arms and legs, and might I add, she has some seriously long legs. The only thing that really has me even more curious about her is the scar across her left eye, starting just above the eyebrow and ending just below her cheek bone.

She's carrying an AR-15 machine gun with an ammo chain wrapped around her; she's padded to the hilt with all sorts of weapons. She's a vision of sin, bad behavior and danger the way she looks standing up there.

Her eyes slide my way once she's finished glaring at Paul who just cat called her from the guard shack at the top of the wall.

"Dean Winchester….just the man I've been waiting for." She says leaping down off the pallets and onto the truck bed, from there she leaps down to the ground and starts walking towards me.

Once she's directly in front of me she hands me the AR-15 then pulls her fist back and punches me right square in the jaw. "That's for shooting at me last year you jackass!" She shouts suddenly, I've no clue what she's talking about, I don't recall shooting at such a gorgeous woman.

"You said you weren't here to harm the Winchesters!" Bobby shouts over with amusement as the team moves in to start unloading the truck and helping some woman and about twelve or so kids off the truck.

"Who are you?" I ask the blonde goddess standing before me. "Nathalia Colt, I've been searching for you and you're brother for quite a while now." She says reaching to her neck where a leather cord is partially tucked into the shoulder strap of her top.

She pulls off the necklace and holds it out to me, hanging from the end of the leather cord is none other than Casstiel's grace and the necklace charm that Sam gave me when we we're kids.

"I figured the grace might be useful, and so would this." She says reaching to her left him, she pulls out the colt revolver and trades me guns. She takes the AR back and I take hold of the colt.

"I knew it needed to get back to you boys, I'm Samuel Colt's granddaughter, but I have no use for the colt." Nathalia explains, I take the items she's handing me then look her square in the eyes.

"Thanks…you've just made this entire villages survival guaranteed." I say to her, she looks at me with a poker face, the only emotion I can see is in her eyes, and that's only because she's allowing me to. She won't say you're welcome in fact I feel like she's not going to be joining the village.

Nathalia pov

"All I can say is that you best kick it in the ass, things are bad out there. Most survivors that are loners are becoming infected now. The virus is getting stronger and finding new ways to spread." I say to Dean, with the words or warning spoken I turn back towards the gates ready to leave.

"Nathalia wait." Dean calls after me, I turn around to face him only to see he's stuffing the angel grace and that creepy charm into his pocket and placing the colt in his waist band.

Once he's finished there he walks after me, Bobby, and few others are standing nearby listening and watching, Sam and John Winchester amongst the group.

"Snow is already falling down in the valley pass. Why don't you stay the winter here, we could use someone like you around here. Plus you'll be well fed?" Dean offers, we stand there facing each other for the better part of five minutes before I answer.

"Just for the winter, I leave as soon as the first daisy pops up." I reply giving him a gnarly glare, he gives me a sarcastic smirk.

"Sounds like a deal to me. What other skills do you have to offer aside from Royal bitch?" He presents the question.

"Oh… wouldn't you like to know the things I can do." I tease giving a seductive tone, he smirks back at me. "Suit yourself, I will just place you as caretaker for the rabbits." Dean challenges and I grimace.

"I hate rabbits." I hiss. "Then what is it you'd like to do?" He snaps. "I have no permanent placement; I'll help where I can." I growl right back getting in his face now; he gets closer showing no fear.

"Fine." He snaps. "Fine." I snap back. "That makes you my assistant." He grins with an arrogant look on his face, happy that he just won this hissing match.

Dean pov (Later on the same day)

"Okay, there are no available cabins right now so you'll be staying with me for a while." I inform Nathalia as I lead her into my Cabin. She stops just inside the door and takes a look around, she gives a very approving half smile. "Nice place." She says zeroing in on the collection of rock n roll records from various artists as well as the many weapons that adorning several different gun cabinets.

"Thanks. Your room is over there." I reply pointing to the room next door to mine that only has a dresser and bed in it.

"Got it. Any basic rules you have?" She asks whilst closing the front door. "Not really, just stay out of the tobacco." I reply nodding to the jars of tobacco lining the wall to her right.

"What if we make a trade?" She returns. "Depends on the offer." I reply pouring her a glass of scotch, she graciously accepts the offering. "How bout some hand grenades?" She smiles wickedly, this has my attention.

"A jar per grenade?" I reply, she nods in agreeance. "If you've got any tobacco seeds I can get em growing?" She also offers. "Actually there are some seeds in the barn." I reply as she unhooks a few grenades from her hip, she sets two down clipping one back to her belt to grab a different one. Wonder why? I think to myself as I grab three jars of tobacco and a box of pre rolled and filtered cigarette tubes.

"So, what's the deal with the village, the resident's survivors or hunters?" she asks flopping down in the chair that Sam normally sits in. She kicks her feet up and breaks into the jar of tobacco, I sit across from her at the table then answer.

"Both, most of them are hunters, the people on the outskirts are all hunters, the ones in the center of the town are common folk who have useful skills." I reply to her, she looks around the room again spotting a guitar in the corner that I held on to for some reason, neither Sam nor anyone in this village can play.

Nathalia gets to her feet to retrieve the guitar, when she sits back down in the chair she strums a few chords messes with the strings before she begins playing.

Listening to this tune brings a sense of youthfulness to everyone, it's something new to us, the music that is, we've long since grown tired of the same old records, CD's and cassettes that are already here.

"You don't want me no, you don't need me, like I want you oh like I need you. And I, want you in my life, and I need you in my arms. You can't see me no, like I see you, I can't have you now, like you have me. And I, want you in my arms, and I need you in my life, love, love, love. Love, love, love, oh mmmm whoa, you can't feel me no, like I feel you, I can't steel you no, like you stole me. And I-

"WE'VE GOT DEMONS!" Someone from one of the guard shacks announces loudly, this cuts Nathalia off mid song, she sets the guitar aside and turns for the door.

Once outside I see several unfamiliar faces and sets of black eyes running through the village trying to get close to anyone they can to rip them apart. Thankfully everyone here knows to either run or start shooting if they can.

"Nathalia!" I shout after the woman as she charges out head long into the largest swarm of the demons.

"Grenade!" I hear her shout just as she's running back out of the swarm, Ten seconds later there's a horrendous explosion that sends demon souls air born and has dirt raining down everywhere else.

She tucks and rolls into the middle of a three demon team and pulls out two swords, sterling silver are made entirely of the purest silver unknown to man. Angel blades, but they look like Samurai swords rather than your average Angel blade.

She jabs the two blades out in either direction at the demons standing on either side of her, then her boot clad foot swings out to kick the third in its chest. It fumbles back into a fourth demon just as she's pulling her blades back from first two sulfur munchers. In a flash she jams both swords straight forward lighting up the demons that are currently tangled up and confused with their impact into each other.

Shaking off the shock of watching her charge into battle without a second thought I to head out to help defend the village. I run down to the slope just below where Nathalia is and take a few demons out with my own demon knife, as Sam and Dad come running in, dad has the colt and is firing rounds out at any demon that dares to try and attack. Mom is a few yards to my left kicking the ass of a crossroads demon.

"Get the other's out of here!" Gadriel shouts to the gathering of hunters who don't exactly know how to react to this attack.

They make quick work of evacuating everyone out of here and over to the hill opposite where we are, but they can all see the insanity that's going on down here.

"Nathalia behind you!" Sam warns but he doesn't have to, the blonde goes from stabbing one demon in front of her to doing a back bend slamming the blades through the collar bone of the demon behind her.

Temple the other hunter female in the entire village is now out of her cabin hold a Winchester rifle blasting anything that has black eyes.

I used to gawk at her over being the badass woman she is but she looks like a kid in training in comparison to Nathalia.

"Dean Winchester!" I hear the familiar sound of a demon named Abaddon somewhere close by, dad stabs one last demon that is still standing as I look around for Abaddon.

She's off to my left looking this way as she struts closer, she sends Sam, dad, mom and Temple flying backwards into Bobby who's just made his entrance into the fight. Dad tries to get up but Abaddon mutters a spell that holds everyone down.

"Do you realize exactly how long I've been looking for you? It was rude of you to bail on our last date after stealing the mark of Kane from me." The red head speaks as she gets closer. "It's also rude to come onto someone's property un-invited." Nathalia interrupts as she leaps down from the slight rock tumble on the slope.

"Pretty new face…is she a pet?" Abaddon taunts Nathalia who comes to stand right next to me. "No, just a new friend is all." Nathalia replies brushing off Abaddon's taunting as if she we're just some high school bully.

"You've got nerve, I like that. You're playing for the wrong team though, darling." Abaddon says turning to more fully confront Nathalia.

"Sorry, even I'm not so stupid as to take on a Winchester as a battle opponent, apparently you are though." Nathalia replies, I hear Gadriel laughing from his perch on the front porch of the common store.

"You call these boys a formidable opponent? Pathetic. Their nothing but weak, useless, disastrous murderer's I mean the feds wanted them for murder before I remodeled earth but now? Now their responsible for the death of billions." Abaddon explains, Nathalia apparently takes offense to hearing this as she steps forward getting right into Abaddon's face.

"Apparently you have some kind of fear of, Dean. Otherwise you wouldn't be working so hard at keeping you're distance? Does he scare you knight of hell? Does it bother you that he's the one person you cannot harm, that you cannot destroy….but he can destroy you?" Nathalia taunts stepping forward pulling both angel blades free as she forces Abaddon back.

"Careful Nat." Bobby warns. "What's wrong Abby? Lil ol angel blade scare you?" Nathalia continues to taunt, out of nowhere Abaddon slams her fist into Nat's jaw. She doesn't even flinch, she licks her lips then smiles as a bit of blood drips from the corner of her mouth.

"Ouch that hurt." Nathalia laughs then slashes one of her blades towards Abaddon who leaps back fast as lightening with a terror stricken look on her face.

"Dear Abby, fuck you…this is my playground, now get lost. Otherwise I will cut you, then I will put each piece in a jar, and when Dean finds the first blade, and he will…I'll put you back together again so that he can cut you into pieces for a second time. Sincerely, Nathalia." Nat says to the demon knight, Abaddon looks at me then back at Nathalia.

"This isn't over, once he's done hiding behind you, I will come back and I will kill him. Is that understood, Dominatrix?" Abaddon speaks before snapping her fingers; she vanishes into thin air leaving the village in a moment of complete silence.

Gadriel begins to clap slowly, until everyone else in the village joins him, the whole area erupts into applause.

"Fuck you Abaddon!" I shout to green and red cloud of sulfur dust hovering just outside the village gates, it glows a bright purple in the center before taking off out of the area. Her version of screw you to Nathalia.

"That was…intense." Dean says walking up behind me. "Yeah, I have a thing against Abaddon." I growl still glaring at the mountain pass almost begging her to come back and fight me to the death.

"Did she call you a Dominatrix?" John Winchester asks from where he's just now getting up off the ground.

"Yeah, she did. You're a dominatrix?" Some woman I've never met before says very accusingly. "I'm one quarter Dominatrix, just enough to be able to wield these. But in your case I guess that's a good thing, isn't it." I hiss back at her, she gives me a dirty look; if looks could kill I'd be badly injured just now.

"Back off Temple, you're talking to the second in command around here." Dean informs loud enough for everyone around here to be able to hear him clearly.

The only person to silently object is Temple, a blonde and brown haired woman with dark brown eyes who already doesn't like me.

She snorts in disgust before turning back to her cabin slamming the door behind herself, I shake off some of the adrenaline and anger coursing through me, I'm calmed just enough to talk to Dean.

"You need to do something to demon proof those walls." I snarl at him, with that said I sheath both swords and head off towards the crater I created with the hand grenade.

It's about twenty feet in diameter and about eight feet deep, for some reason my mind sees this as a water feature that could harbor all sorts of things useful to keeping this village alive. Guess I won't be leaving in the spring….


	3. Chapter 3

Echo on the wind chapter 3

New idea's weekly meeting

Nathalia pov

A week, I've been here for two weeks and already I'm going nuts, we're not allowed outside these walls, there's a curfew in the village. Sam is in such a depressive state that all he does is mope around, he attends some meetings according to Mary but other than that he stays in his cabin drunk.

Of course Anna being the woman she is has decided that she's going to bring him out of this state, she's a kind hearted woman who's somehow managed to befriend me. Something Dean has found isn't an easy task, him I spend most of our time fighting and arguing rather than trying to work together.

On the topic of Dean, when he isn't arguing me he is always busy trying to gather complaints from everyone and figure out how to fix them before winter hits full force. Instead of telling them to suck it up and focus on things that are important.

Meanwhile I stay at Dean's cabin with paper and pens trying to work on drawing up blue prints to get this place up and running better than it is. According to the one weather scientist in the camp we have maybe two weeks tops for a hundred and thirty people to get their heads together and get this place up and running.

"Nathalia. We've got a meeting let's go." Dean says poking his head into the cabin, I glance up and frown deeply but gather the pages of blue prints and head out the door after Dean.

Dean pov

"Alright, so…the only thing that's changed this week is the fact we have more supplies, we're still at shortage to supply for everyone. But it's better than nothing, Nathalia made a good point that we have to get that wall demon proofed. Anyone come up with any ideas, obviously the idea of salt and spray paint wards isn't working." I explain to everyone here, I have assigned Anna as the official Mom to all displaced children in the village, giving her the largest of the cabins here in the village to help with that task.

Nathalia, missing god help me, is my second in command, Sam is just here I guess to look good, dad and mom are in charge of weapons and ammunition stocks. Casstiel, and Gadriel just kind of do what they can where they can help, other than that it's still looking like we're screwed.

"Actually, I do have some ideas." Nathalia announces as she gets to her feet, it's time's like this I'm glad that she punched me at the back gate otherwise we'd be officially completely royally screwed. Her brain is always working and she's always on high alert.

Temple decides at this time to grace us with her presence for once, she's the leader of the guards, and no one likes it, not even me but she's the only one that the guards will listen to without getting their teeth beat out.

"Okay, what are the ideas?" Mom asks when Dad is about to tell Nathalia to sit down. "This isn't just a stack of papers pertaining to a damn wall; there is so much wrong in this village I had a hard time figuring out where to start, but for right now what I have are blue prints for several things that will help all of us survive this winter." She explains setting the first paper down on the center of the table but directly in front of me.

"What am I looking at here?" I ask her, I understand the concept of the wall but it appears she's placed two different walls up in this virtual reality she's created with a pen.

"Where the X's are is where the wall is right now. Obviously I've placed a secondary one outside the original, now the idea for this is very simple, in fact it's better than what we have now because as the emperor of China found out. If you build a wall, your enemies will go over it, or around it." Nathalia says sarcastically, and she has a point, we only have a partial wall in place, we ran out of items to use to finish the wall so we just left it and put up a gate.

"Instead of assigning some slackers to repaint demon wards on the wall you, why don't you etch the symbols into heavily salted adobe clay and mix the adobe with holy water. Did anyone else here ever get the memo on Crystal Quartz and demons?" Nathalia prompts looking around the table at the hunters and angels amongst us.

"Uh, what?" Mom asks seeming very lost at this point.

"There's a common theory among hunters that crystal quartz is like…a fly trap for demons. Once their soul's ghost out of their host, the crystal is then capable of trapping the demon inside. Of course I've tried that and it doesn't work-

"Course not; it won't work unless you have the correct spell which Gadriel was nice enough to provide me with as well a few tons worth of crystals. So here's the basic plan, finish the wall we started, that'll take about twenty men to accomplish, meanwhile we'll send some other's out to do some gathering and hunting. We need, meat, lots of it, as well as fur, bone anything that can be found out there on a hunting trip needs to be brought back here…

Nathalia pov

"So we're all agreeing to put these into motion?" I confirm placing my hand on the stack of papers that I've already gone over, heating features for the cabins, extensions on the cabins so when Bobby leaves again to collect more survivors we actually have a place for them. As well as alarms that Charlie is going to graciously help build to track demon activity around the village.

"Yes." Everyone says with genuine interest. "This is only half complete, Dean interrupted me to come over here." I explain pointing to the last page, I'm not really accusing with the comment just letting everyone know I'm not done with this particular plan.

"So, this idea just came up at Random but it proves to be a good idea considering during summer we would have to walk outside the village to get fresh water. That crater I created out in front of Dean's cabin? If we can dig that about ten feet deeper, and about twelve feet wider in diameter and then dig down at an angle and continue on through the village with a six by twelve ditch. Gadriel would be able to use his abilities to reform the river water to flow this direction. We'd have a fresh water source immediately in the village. With some water wheels we'd be able to pump running water into all cabins. In the spring we'd be able to plant fish and other animals, plus herbs that Anna could use for medicinal causes, a lot of benefits would come about from this idea." I prompt as the page is passed around the table.

"That's a little extreme considering we are working on putting everything back to the way it was before Croatoan." John says, and I shake my head completely disagreeing with her.

"Dean, Sam, how many years have you two been trying to put hell back in its place?" I ask. "Our whole lives basically." Dean replies, I throw my hands up now as if proving a point. "Okay, so how long do you think it's gonna take to I dunno, find the first blade, kill Abaddon and steal back the tablet and the prophet? Especially since Donner Pass is gonna close over with snow here any day?" I ask sarcastically looking at John with a very accusing glare.

He takes into consideration what I'm saying and is still about to say the fresh water thing isn't a good idea but Mary interrupts.

"She's right babe, even when spring hits who knows how long it'll take that snow to melt off so we could pass through." Mary says to her husband, Dean smacks the paper getting everyone's attention back to him.

"I'm approving this; we have the resources here to get this at least roughly outlined and started. On a final note, Cass…Nathalia found this, thought she might return it." Dean says sliding Casstiel's grace across the table, the angel catches it and looks at the vial.

"Thank you." Cass says to me though he's very perplexed as he stares down at the vial, I smile at him but say nothing more as I watch the angel break the vial I've worked so hard to protect, I'm left awed as the white magic trapped inside shoots straight up and then dives back down into Cass's body.

The angel is suddenly powered up, a few battery operated lanterns in the room flicker, for a brief few moments I can almost see the outlined shadow of wings against the back wall.

A huge and venomous grin spreads across my face, I've just powered up an angel. Cool.

Dean pov

"Ya know, at first I didn't really like that woman. But, I'm starting to see what you do." Dad says walking up to me; I glance over at him as I'm puffing on a cigarette.

"What do you mean?" I ask him, he scoffs at me clearly amused by my false sense of hate towards Nathalia who's down by the crater she created explaining to ten or so young men on what they need to do.

"Come on son, you're just like me, like it or not. You don't just see this woman for the beauty she is, you are actually seeing a woman for her brain, her nerve, and your looking right through the fact she's completely uninterested in you, and the fact that well…she's a little bit of a bitch." Dad says just as Nathalia turns back and points to the portion of the wall that will be cut into to make way for water to run in from the river up above us but still down in a small valley.

"Alright, so what if I have a thing for her. She's leaving in the spring anyways; she doesn't seem the type to change her mind easily once she's set her head on something." I reply crushing out the cigarette only to pitch the butt into a terracotta pot nearby on the porch.

"As I've found out you and Sam can manage to achieve the seemingly impossible so, why not achieve the impossible with Nat?" Dad says using the pet name everyone has taken to using, mostly because though she does some useful things she's a little pest.

I shake my head, this is one thing I can disagree on my father with, we're watching the sun rising up over the village just trying to make sense of the mixed feelings of blame and achievement. Yes his two sons managed to destroy the world over the course of five years, but we also worked to save as many humans as we could and we're still trying to figure out how to fix what we broke. And he's trying to get me to make a play for Nathalia, but I really do not want her, she's gorgeous, she's badass, she's incredibly more intelligent than a hundred percent of the women I've gone after, not to mention she has quite the dirty mind. But I don't want her.

"Dean!" I hear Nathalia call out, I glance down to where she is, just as the sun finally breaks over the hillside, her hair that is now officially clear of the blood stains is shining under the dawn light, the slight chill of a breeze is slightly pushing her hair in all directions, her vivid dark green eyes are also sparkling with excitement…she's a vision of a goddess right about now. Okay maybe my father is a little bit right to say I have a bit of a crush on Nathalia.

"Got it!" I hear Dad's phone exclaim, glancing over I see he just clicked off a picture of Nat. "Yeah?!" I call back to her shaking my brain free of the haze she brought in.

"You and I are going out on a hunt here in a few! And Anna has Sam going around fixing things on the complaint list!" Nat calls back up to me, I give a thumbs up, I still cannot believe that Anna is able to get through to Sam. He really see's something in that strange woman, her hair is naturally black but she bleaches the bangs and they turn orange, it looks good but still she's….odd, that and she's five foot even compared to my brother's six foot six. Though they do make the cutest couple, I really find them to be quite odd together, she's a mixture of punk rock and Hollywood glam, but loves kids, but be prepared to get your ass beat down if you cross her, but at the same time she loves helping people. Then there's my brother who's a drunken mess, hasn't shaved in months, and has really let himself go. But there she is telling him to shave or she's gonna do it for him and making him get up at five in the morning skip the alcohol, eat breakfast go jogging then get to work on tasks around here. I really do believe that those two will end up together, if they don't I will be completely shocked.

Nathalia pov

TAK! The sound of my arrow striking the head of a deer brings Dean to attention, he quickly fires off a second arrow taking down another deer that's looked up, in a matter of seconds the heard of five are dead. pelts can be stretched and made into everything from bags into shoes and furniture, the bones can be used for sewing needles, combs and a variation of other things, the innards can feed the dogs and that damn barn cat. Plus the meat can be dispersed to everyone in the village.

"Nice. Don't you think we've gone a bit overboard though?" Dean asks. "We'd have more than this if someone wasn't so distracted with how tight my pants are." I reply sarcastically to Dean, who instantly took note of the new pair of black leather pants that Charlie brought up to me as well as a ton of other more gothic rock clothes that no one in the village would lay claim to.

"Says the woman who fell off the porch this morning when I came outside shirtless." Dean teases right back, I can't help but genuinely laugh at that. He does have a point, I was sitting on the porch banister earlier resting my feet on the banister as well and then Dean comes walking out shirtless with his sweats riding a bit to low….yeah, I fell right off that porch.

"Hey what can I say, I've been deprived of male attention my entire life. And let's face the facts here you're not exactly Al Bundy." I reply stepping out of our hiding place to drag two of the five deer down towards the pile of wild game that's been building up all day. "Then who am I?" Dean challenges. "You're Dean Frigging Winchester." My response earns me an eye roll as we double back to the secondary pile of creatures we've struck down in order to survive this winter, it looks like our other groups have fared well. There's a few dead Elk, some deer, doves, quail, and other animals piled up here.

"So, I've got a question for you….How is it, a woman such as yourself becomes a loner? I would think you had a team before all this?" Dean says waving his blood soaked hunting knife around the forest, in general he means the virus outbreak.

"Heh, no. I've always worked alone, I ran away from my foster home when I about fifteen or so, got attacked by a rugaru one night, some hunter named Samuel took me in for a while taught me to hunt then turned me loose on the world. Been on the run since, hunting things, saving people, drowning my sorrows in a bottle, then last year this happened. I ran for shelter, when the initial shock wave went away I came out and started traveling, a month later is when I found Casstiel grace hanging around the neck of a rather pathetic angel, so I took his life, took the grace and that charm you're wearing. I already had the colt. I decided it would be my last case to find the notorious Winchesters and return the grace of their beloved angel. I of course figured that meant my life would end sometime in the process, but I stumbled across Bobby." I explain to Dean as I flop down on a log to rest for a few, it's only eleven in the morning and I feel like I've been running for a week straight.

"So you would have risked you life to get that stuff back to us?" Dean asks, clearly perplexed.

"What reason do I have to live? I have no family, what friends I did have are probably dead and yeah…alone, one hundred percent." My explanation to Dean has him frowning.

"You're useful now, and as far as I'm concerned we are family. Course I wouldn't know where to label you as a family member. Maybe a crazy, sexy aunt, twice removed from my fifth cousins side?" Dean says, it's a joke but I can clearly see he means it about the family thing, that he does care if I'm alive or dead. Which to me isn't something I appreciate, I don't get close to people, and whenever I take a chance to get close to someone they die.

"Whatever, I'm gonna head back to camp and make sure everything is running smooth, when you're done here, have the team bring this kill back to camp. We've gotta figure out how to pack it and keep it fresh till everything freezes." My last order brings Dean to grimace.

"Alright." He grumbles, not really upset with the order, or being ordered around but more upset with me changing the subject and running.

Sam pov

"Sam it's good to see you doing so well today. Looking good." Nathalia amends as she approaches me, she has a quiver of arrows on her back and is carrying four blood coated arrows in one hand with two papers in the other.

I move away from one of the many heaters that we're salvaged to see what she wants. "Thanks, you're looking…axe murderish." I reply beckoning to her blood spattered form.

"Yeah, it's a slaughterhouse up there right now. I just came to check in on things in here, and see if you would be able to build this?" She asks handing me the two pages, looking them over I realize one is a water pump and the other is a very industrial water proof heater.

"Yeah, I could but how would we power them?" I ask. "Well that's what I was wondering, there are a bunch of solar panels down in the barn, I know how to fix those. So if I fix those can we place them up there on the hill, both items are for the water. We could get this working sooner with these two items, the heater would act as a warming method for plants and would help to thaw out the river when the last snow fall hits." She explains. "And the pump?" I ask. "It's another security feature that would be installed during winter, I was thinking on the inner wall we could run lines at the top and actually put up platforms. Get this running so it's filled with holy water minus the salt, that can be added later, but if we have demons bust in we can let them get in between the two walls and just spray them down with holy water. It'd buy enough time for all hunters to get everyone into lock down and then get into the walls as well to start taking down demons." Nat suggests pointing around us to the wall in different sections as she explains her ideas.

"Did you run this by Dean?" I ask her. "Not yet, I'm gonna tell him tonight so he has time to help work out any bugs in the plan. Then I can present it Monday at the meeting." She says.

"If everyone approves it and you can get the items needed to do this, I will build it." I confirm to her, she smiles wide.

"Okay. Wonderful news, so everything is running good down here then I don't have to crack the whip on anyone?" She asks with a teasing tone.

"Nope, everyone is working as they should be. Dad, Bobby and their team is up there working on starting the frames for some more cabins. So we're good, however you may want to inform Gadriel that the slaughter shack doesn't need to be a castle…dad told him to build a stone structure that would be sturdy enough to hold up quick a few big animal carcasses." I say pointing to the small enclosed gully that we set Gadriel to work in. As of right now he's built a very small castle looking structure.

"Okay then. Let him have at it, just don't let him get out of hand." Nat says with a very curious tone to her voice, she isn't quite sure what to make of the angel. He hasn't completely humanized yet like Cass has, so when we set him to a task he still has the mentality that it must be built to appease God….


	4. Chapter 4

Echo on the wind chapter 4

Leap in time

Dean pov

"Anyone seen Nathalia?" I ask as I trudge through the snow, Temple glares but points up to the barn, once she's pointed me in the right direction she goes back to explaining to the guards how to function with the new walls in place and demon proof.

It's been three months since Nat got here with Anna and the orphans, Anna and Sam have become official, Nathalia is still a bitch. Her and I argue now worse than we did when she first got here, it's like the closer I try to get to her the bitchier she becomes.

Mom just announced to Sam and I that she's pregnant again, so now I'm the oldest of three, Bobby took off the night before the first snow fall to go supply gathering he should be returning as soon as everything thaws out which should be within the next month or two.

The pond and stream river thing is finished being dug out, all we have to do now is wait for the snow to melt away and we'll have water and other things to get us started into a new year.

Of course the start to a new year means Nathalia leaves and I actually have grown so attached to her that I know I'm gonna miss her like crazy when she leaves.

"Nat!" I call into the barn, I see the blonde over in the corner trimming some animal pelts down so they can be more easily worked into things we need around this place. But in particular she's found some white fur pelts belonging to several fox's that we snagged in some traps earlier on in the month.

In the other hand she has blackened cowhide in one hand and some white material in the other; I can't imagine what she's planning on doing with these items.

"What?" She snaps back at me with her usual tone. "I just came out to let you know that we have a village meeting tonight. It's kind of a party type thing….and uh. I was wondering, if uh you might-

"Dean Winchester….Are you asking me to the prom?" She asks with a very heartless tone in her voice, bit I can see some kind of emotion deep in her eyes.

"Maybe, depends on if you plan on using that knife on me." I reply, she frowns. "I can't imagine you we're a very good guy in high school." She snaps at me. "Says the woman who can't lose her attitude and actually be civilized towards people. Shit, Sammy calls me a jackass? You're a royal bitch!" I shout back at her.

"Aw, bow before you're queen." She tosses back in a bitter sarcastic way. "I don't bow for anyone. Never mind, I thought you might like to have fun for once. But I can clearly see you would rather act like a heathenness warrior rather than act like a lady-

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe I don't know any other way?!" Nathalia finally shouts as I'm turning to walk away.

I look back at her only to be left in confusion, there is a look of hurt in her eyes so deep that it actually makes Sam's depressive state look like Mary poppins singing her own version of dancing on sunshine.

"What do you mean? No one ever taught you how to act civilized?" I scoff. "No Dean, compared to me, you're life has been a bed of roses. You may not have had your mother very long, but you had your father, and a brother that loved you very much. All I had was broken bones, bruised skin, cold, harsh words, beating with belts and whatever else my foster parents could get their hands on. You started out as a good person, you just closed yourself out from being hurt so many times. I never had a chance at being a good person, Anna knows how to act like a lady. I don't, nor do I have any interest in those frilly things, I've lived this long based on primal instinct and vicious behavior. I let myself get close to one person, Dean, one…and you're baby brother killed him. So don't you stand there and tell me that I'm the heartless one." Nathalia says trying desperately to force tears back.

I knew she was raised in foster care but I had no idea life was that rough on her. "Nathalia, I'm sorry I didn't know-

"Don't worry about it Dean. I'm just tired of you arguing with me over everything and then blaming me for it. I'm just saying that's all I know, and I will admit that I am terrified to get close to anyone again." Nathalia says, she's about to turn back towards the work she's been doing in here but I step forward and catch her wrist.

"Nathalia, will you go with me as a date to the gathering tonight?" I ask her, she gives me a very taken aback look that is laced with irritation she almost seems to be asking. 'did you not hear what I just told you.'

"If it helps at all, I've died four times already. Heaven keeps throwing me back and hell keeps losing track of me. So even if I die, I'll be back in a year or less." I say to her, she manages to actually laugh at the sarcasm there.

"Okay, alright. Fine I will go with you, but I'm telling you right now. When this place thaws out…I'm making a break for it." Nat says to me. "So we're calling this a casual thing?" I suggest, I'll let her think she's won for now.

"Yes." She confirms, I nod and then smile at her. "I'll pick you up at eight." I tease, she rolls her eyes, I release her hand and head for the door.

"Dean, wait." She calls quickly, glancing back I see her grabbing the white fur, and white cloth and lace that was piled up by her satchel.

"What?" I say as she darts towards me. "Thanks." She says quickly then hugs me, which is the last thing I expect from her, every time Anna hugs her she bristles and looks very uncomfortable.

"For what?" I ask daring to return the hug, I'm just about to let her go when she clings tighter to me. "For dealing with my bitch ass on a regular basis." She says, but her voice sounds really sad now.

Nathalia pov

"Are you sure we can pull this off?" I ask slightly nervous as Anna works with several of the other girls to pull these bits of material and fur together into a dress. "I'm positive, now hold still or you're gonna be a pin cushion." Anna replies pinning more buttons in place along my back.

"I wanna see." I complain. "You will when we're done. Sam tell me you have that sewing machine fixed!" Anna shouts. "Almost, putting the last screws in…you are going to give my brother a heart attack…in a good way." Sam comments, I can hear him getting closer but I cannot see him or anyone for that matter. This simple question turned into a game of blind fold Nathalia and start putting together a dress with me as a the dummy!

Good news is, with ten girls working on it everything is almost sewn together. "Bridget, get to the sewing machine and start getting the rest of this together." Anna orders. "Going." Bridget squeaks back.

"Hey, I spotted a pair of shoes in the attic of my cabin that would go great with that." Sam informs. "Um…boots I hope?" I ask. "Yeah, Dean brought em back but their much to glammed up for anyone here." Sam announces. "Well go get them! We've got two hours to finish making her look human." Anna snaps at Sam who makes haste in getting out the front door of this cabin.

"No Dean you may not go in there!" Sam's voice booms, in a flash I hear the boys in the house heading towards the doors and windows guarding them.

"Seriously, this is a casual date Anna. Why are you going all girl crazy?" I hiss down at her. "Keep talking and I will poke you." Anna snaps, I sigh in surrender, I might as well let her have her fun otherwise I'm going to actually be a pin cushion, something I'm not looking forward to.

I've been hit with blow darts before and I do not want to go through that ever again, even if they are just sewing needles.

"Should I start on her hair?" I hear one of the teen girls ask in a very valley girl kind of voice, oh god please, please take five minutes from your vacation to save me from this torture!

Anna pov

"Okay and….we're ready!" I exclaim as I lace Nathalia's shoe in place, Christa, a blonde girl from Malibu reach's up to remove the blind fold from Nat just as Bridget is walking in with the cloak jacket in her hands.

"Now we're ready." Bridget says reaching up to wrap the cloak around Nathalia, it's extremely long, and drags at the back similar to something you'd see a queen wearing. The whole thing is made out of sun bleached deer skin, woven into it in layers and at random angles is some of the white fox fur, around the sleeves and hood is more fur.

But the dress itself is what we really did our best on, I had a thick long sleeve, form fitting wool dress in my closet that didn't fit me. But it fits Nat like a glove, it's form fitting to just above the knee's the fans out to the floor. So I took my time to sew the white lace over the top of it, keeping it form fitting at from the waist line up, then from the waist down it's layer's upon layer of bunched up lace making it look more like a gown than a normal dress. To add a bit of glam to it I took a white leather belt Bridget found in a boot barn that is diamond studded to the hilt with clear and pale blue stones and wrapped it around Nathalia's mid section.

It took a lot of work but Christa managed to get a flat iron plugged into a generator and flat ironed Nat's hair so it shines more than it normally does, and it doesn't look like a partially tangled disaster. That's Nat's style, beautiful disaster; she looks like a mongrel ninety nine percent of the time.

But right now her hair is sleek, pulled forward over her shoulders, with a thin little silver and clear stoned headband in her hair not holding any hair back just there for decoration basically.

We didn't even add much to her for makeup, just a bit of silver eye shadow, and some blush so she didn't look so flushed out.

"Whoa….Anna…guys, this is amazing. I don't even look like me." Nathalia says then looks over to Sam who's been here mostly watching and waiting to be put to work either fixing something or holding something so I can pin it and sew it.

"I think Dean is in for a whirl wind of shock." Sam gives his thoughts on Nat's appearance, just as I'm about to give my own compliment I hear the gathering down below starting up.

"Okay, everyone get down there go, go, go! Sam you to! Nathalia I'll go let Dean know you're on your way down." Anna says as everyone makes a mad dash for the door.

I'm left in silence for the longest time just staring at my reflection in the mirror; I suddenly hear Dean's voice behind me.

"I thought you'd clean up nicely but I had no idea this could be the outcome. You look gorgeous tonight, more so than normal." Dean speaks, I turn around to face him and he just stands there gaping at me.

"Thanks. Anna-

" I know, but I wanted to talk to you before we went down there." Dean interrupts as he steps forward holding out a black velvet box, it's fairly large in size, if I we're to guess I'd say a necklace.

"Happy birthday, twenty? I thought you we're either a lot younger or closer to my age and just looked younger." Dean says, I can't help but give him a watery smile, I've never had anyone care enough to remember my birthday. And for him to do something like this is….beyond words amazing.

"Dean, you're turning me into a human. I don't like it, I hate tears." I say though my voice cracks a little. "Just open the box." He says stepping forward, I open the box and inside is a necklace like nothing I've seen before. Two strings of pearls hang down in a U shape but in the center of the U between the two strings is a huge pale blue topaz stone.

"Holy hell, Dean. This is gorgeous." I say breathlessly. "You're welcome; I figured even if this is casual I should do something nice for you. Besides you deserve it." Dean speaks, his hands work easily to place the necklace around my neck, I look back in the mirror and decide this outfit is complete.

"Thank you Dean, if this is casual I'd hate to see what serious is." My response is met with him taking my hand and leading me towards the door. It's now that I notice he's wearing a black long sleeve button down shirt and a pair of black jeans with his biker boots on. He looks good to considering the situation we're all in.

"You wouldn't feel so alone, I can say that much. But beyond that, you'll have to get gutsy enough to find out." Dean actually answers my rhetorical question.

John pov

The radio starts playing Johnny cash and June carter cash's song it aint me babe, just as everyone takes note of the sight walking down the snow covered hill.

Temple is still talking her badass stories to the guards, once everyone falls silent and looks to the hillside she to falls silent.

"Oh my lord." Mary says with a very astonished tone, Nathalia is wearing a gown that looks like it should belong to a queen, it looks like Dean got into those cases of jewelry I brought back for just a whatever type thing. He must've given Nathalia that necklace she's wearing, there's no way in hell a woman like her would own something like that.

She's a true vision of beauty right now, she looks like a snow queen in every sense of the word, her cold heart even fits the personality test.

"Are you…that's his date?" Temple grumbles defiantly from her place on a nearby bench. "What I wouldn't give for a camera right now." Mary complains giving a slight foot stomp. "I got it." Charlie says, I hear and see her camera flashing.

"Okay! Everyone is here! Let's get this party started!" Sam shouts out when Dean starts glaring at Charlie, the radio turns up a lot louder. But I'm still keeping an eye on my son, I do not like Nat, not after some of the things she said to Dean.

"Care to dance?" Dean asks her, she raises an eye brow. "Yes, she'd love to." Anna answers as she darts over to steal off with the jacket cloak thing that Nat was wearing.

"Is there anything they didn't do for her?" Temple gripes, honestly I think Temple is a snobby bitch but I'd prefer Dean to have gone after her instead of the blonde he's currently dancing with to another Johnny cash song 'Jackson.'

"See that's a start to normal, you can dance." Dean comments as the two dancing by in a very fast paced two step swing dance. She laughs at his smart ass remark, she's already tripped twice, but he spins her around.

"Not great at dancing but still better than most woman I've seen." Dean adds. "So your saying I'm a bit better than a drunk bottle blonde dancing on the bar?" Nat asks, but she looks less angry and more happy than anyone has seen her.

"Yeah, a bit better than that." Dean teases her, she laughs again, it actually shows in her eyes.

"I think Dean is winning. You're gonna owe me another kid after this one if I'm right." Mary reminds me of the deal I foolishly made with her two days ago when Dean finally admitted to Sam that he did have a thing for Nathalia.

Mary said that if Dean wins this then after this baby is born we're going to have another one as soon as she can, I told her there was no way in hell Dean would win Nat over so I wasn't worried. Now I'm a bit worried, I don't really want another kid after the one Mary is currently carrying.

"And I've got arms, let's get together and use those arms, let's go, times a wastin!" I hear someone nearby singing, looking around sure as day it's Nathalia singing, Dean mentioned she could but I didn't believe it.

"If your free to go with me, I'll take ya quicker than one two three, let's goooo, times a wastin!" She continues singing with the radio looking up at Dean, for that brief moment in time I realize…I'm going to be a father to five kids….


	5. Chapter 5

Echo on the wind chapter 5

Break down here

Nathalia pov

Crunch! The sound of my new combat boots crushing down into the snow; finally, finally three days after the gathering party a group of hunters sent out last year had returned with news of where Kevin Tran the prophet is at.

Dean had not a single care in the world about Donner summit closing in with snow, him and I left that day with Jerry and Sam to go retrieve Kevin. John and Mary are staying behind with Anna and the other group of five hunters that we are calling peace Keepers to take care of the camp.

"Nathalia, hold your pace. We're entering the city." Dean warns me as we near the city limits of Auburn County, little does Dean know I'm perfectly fine running on ahead by myself.

"She looks like an animal." I hear Jerry mutter to Sam as I suddenly crouch down on the roof of an old Mustang, one hand pressed flush against the cold metal as I look around myself and listen careful for any signs of danger.

Dean gives me a strange look as he watches me, I'm sure he's never encountered someone like me that has returned to the primal instincts in order to survive this mass disaster.

Just as the group passes the hood of the car I leap off the hood and land beside Dean only to run passed and out into the middle of a four way intersection.

I hear some scuffling nearby and whirl to my left taking a defensive stance as I pull free the 40 cal Desert eagle strapped to my hip. The entire group freezes in their tracks and watches me as my eyes lock in on a black van that appears to still be running, there are people inside, or demons, or Croats either way I will shoot if I have to.

When no one moves I let out a loud shriek that sounds a lot like a Croatoan infected human, several men come flying out of the van.

"Who are you?!" I demand from them, but I lower my gun immediately as I see the tall bald man standing at the head of the group.

"Samuel." I say, I cannot believe he managed to survive all this, though it really should surprise me, after all he trained me and I survived just fine.

"Nathalia, good to see you alive…and traveling with my grandsons." Samuel says looking over to Dean and Sam, he makes one hand gesture to his team and they lower their guns allowing me to step forward.

"Samuel I'm so relieved to see you're okay!" I exclaim as if I we're a child finding her father after so many long years of being separated in a war torn city.

"Good to see you to Kiddo…mind telling me what is going on?" Samuel asks extending a hand shake to Sam who accepts but pulls him into a hug. Dean stands there glaring at Samuel, they must have a hatred for each other.

"Hello again Dean." A dark curly haired gal says walking over to hug Dean. "Gwen." Dean greets having no problems hugging the woman.

"So you guys are relatives?" I ask somewhat shocked. "Yes." Sam replies as if that should be obvious. "So you're the one who turned her into this-

"Dean, he's the one who stopped me from becoming a monster." I interrupt him getting right in his face. "Looks like your monster enough to me, only difference is you don't kill humans." Dean growls, in a flash my fist is planted in his jaw.

"Won't kill a human? You really wanna test that Winchester!" I shout at him only to swing my foot around and clobber him in the chest, he fumbles back and draws the colt on me. I walk right up to the outstretched barrel that's right above my heart.

"Go ahead Dean, pull the trigger. One less problem in your life? One less annoyance, one more grievance taken out of your daily headache. So long as you know I forgive you before you pull the trigger, in the end you'd be doing ME a favor. Not yourself." I say to him with a volatile, and very Venomous sneer.

He pulls the hammer back on the revolver and I lock eyes with him. "Go ahead Dean, I'm not afraid to die. Are you afraid to lose me though?" As soon as I say this he lower the gun and releases the hammer.

"Are you kids done flirting?" Samuel asks, I'm about to answer with my own sarcastic remark but another noise brings me to attention.

Military agents, displaced and infected. "Nathalia!" Dean shouts after me as I turn and run for the corner store, I dive right through the glass and pull the Machete that John gave me lopping off two heads immediately.

RAAAWWWAAAAAEEER! A third Croatoan shrieks at me slashing at me, it's clawed hand slashes at my skin and I swing my Machete at it taking its head off as well.

A fourth runs out the door zeroing in on Dean. "Oh no you don't bitch!" I shout after it leaping back through the window into the snow covered street.

"Dean get down!" I shout to him, he does as told and I take the shot with my desert eagle. Six rounds later the Croat actually drops.

Dean pov

"Nat-

"Dean stay back, she's been infected." Sam warns. "I'm not infected, I'm immune, Dominatrix blood." Nathalia reminds me, a relieved breath leave my lungs as I hug her relieved that she's not to badly injured.

"Let me go Jackass, you tried to shoot me…twice now!" She shouts pushing me away, I give her a rather pathetic but she ignores it.

"Where are you two heading, if your wandering we could take you back to our compound-

"We're traveling from our own village to rescue someone…thanks anyways." I interrupt then walk passed, Jerry gives a shrug and follows me. Then Nathalia, then Sam after giving Samuel an apologetic look.

"Sam, we can help-

"Pass!" I shout back. "Dean come on, they are family. What would mom say if she found out about this?" Sam stops to argue.

"Yeah what would mom say if she found out her father tried to kill us for John being our father?" I retort. "She will handle that on her own-

"Mary is alive?" Samuel demands. "Yeah she is, she's back at our village." I reply giving him a warning look. "Take me back there-

"We will, if you go with us to Arizona and help recover the prophet. If you can prove to us that this isn't some scheme put together to kill us again. We'll take you back there, otherwise I'll just let mom know you didn't care enough to come back and that you tried to kill me twice and Sammy once." The offer is out there now it's up to Samuel what to do with it….

Nathalia pov (10 hours later outside Los Angeles city limit)

It's been two hours since everyone went to bed, except Dean, he stayed up to take first watch because I wandered off to explore a little and see if I could find anything worth my while.

But now I've returned to find him sitting on the trunk of a Honda civic drinking a cold beer and watching the stars that you can actually see.

"Dean." I call his name in a peaceful manner, in my time running the city streets it really occurred to me that this wild child thing isn't as much fun anymore. Sure I like being outside the village and being legally able to blow shit up in the city, play with a fire hose, and kill anything that walks but…I actually like the domestication of living in the village and living with Dean.

What really got to me about an hour ago is thinking to earlier on in this trip when Dean pulled the gun on me, I could see in his eyes that he wasn't going to actually shoot me. He loves me too much, which brought me around to the words I said to him before he put the gun down. I wouldn't have said that if I didn't love him to, the only reason I haven't acted on that feeling thus far is because I didn't understand what it was I was feeling.

I've gone so long not knowing what love is, or really caring about anyone, being completely numb that when my subconscious mind found love I didn't even know it.

Of course I really, truly realized and admitted it when that Croat went after Dean, the thought of him dying damn near sent me into a frenzy that would've ended in a lot of survivors dead as well as the Winchester and Campbell family.

"Come to start a fight again? Really not in the mood right now." Dean says, then tosses back a swig of his beer. I move to stand right between his knees, I steal the beer from him and take a drink.

"No actually I didn't." I reply setting the beer down next to him but out of his reach, he looks down at me still clearly pissed at me from today's events. Him and everyone else except Gwen and Samuel have been yelling at me like a little kid, stop playing with that, stop jumping on there, don't blow that up, why did you just break that window.

"Then what is it that you want? Unless someone's dead, dying or bleeding I don't wanna talk to you." Dean snaps pushing his hand against my bare stomach trying to get me away from him.

"Good, because I don't know what to say to you." I reply then reach up to the collar of his jacket and pull him down to my height, we're nose to nose at this point. I'm hesitating right now; I don't know how he'll react to me just kissing him.

So I wait and let him make the next move, the hand pressed against my stomach moves to my hip as his other hand moves to my lower back pulling me closer. His lips crash into mine, home, this feels like home, wherever he is, that's where my home is. As long as I have him I can get through anything, I can make any place into our home.

Dean's hands move to the back side of my thighs, my breathing hitches as he lifts me off the ground and onto his lap leaning back against the windshield of the car, our lips never parting as we both relax enough to actually enjoy this moment.

"Does this mean I can stay beyond spring?" The question comes into my mind and I break the kiss just to ask that question.

"You can stay as long as you want." Dean replies, his words bring a thought into my head that really has me disturbed. "If Kevin can put everything back to the way it was? Does that mean you and I-

"I don't know Nathalia, if I knew I'd tell you but that's something I don't. All I can say is just enjoy this time we do have, we'll figure the rest out when we get there." Dean interrupts me, he's right, there's no sense in stressing on things that haven't happened yet.

"I love you, Dean." I say to him after resting my head on his chest. "I love you, Nathalia." He rumbles back, my fingers tangle into his shirt as I drift off to sleep.

Sam pov

"Dean." I say jabbing him the ribs a few times, his eyes open and he glares at me. "What happened last night?"I ask him as I'm pointing to Nathalia whose sound asleep on top of him.

"I won, that's what happened. Apparently she loves men who try to shoot her a few times." Dean teases as Nat begins stirring, coming back to the waking world.

"Good morning Dean…Sammy." She yawns once her eyes are open. "You two slept well last night." Samuel comments from where the rest of the family is standing behind the van waiting for my brother and Nathalia to get up. We got to get on the road and get to Crowley's layer so we can get Kevin and the tablet back and hopefully get home….


	6. Chapter 6

Echo on the wind chapter 6

Edge of the blade

Nathalia pov

"Kevin inside that mansion, it's heavily guarded, at least two hundred demons and that's just the outside. We sent Thomas in there, he didn't come back out. We assume he's either dead or under possession." Jerry explains just as I'm scaling to the top of an outcropping of rocks, I peer down into the mansion below, there's no doubt there are a lot of demons down there.

But that's only a small portion of the problem, there's also a good hundred hell hounds down there as well, thankfully I was able to raid those soldiers for weapons. I've got twenty hand grenades at this point, five flash bangs, as well as two smoke grenades.

We also found a ton of Ammo and machine guns on the guys and back behind the counter where they initially took cover from other Croats I found a Grenade launcher with a few rounds right there next to it.

"Nathalia, what are you thinking?" Dean asks looking up at me, but I'm still scanning the grounds around the mansion looking for a way in that is the least troublesome.

"What do we have for Ammo and explosives?" I ask, Sam just gapes at me. "You have twenty grenades what more do you need?" He asks, I ignore the comment for now as Dean is looking over what we have for explosives.

"We have the grenades that are strapped to you, Samuel put together some fog grenades using Holy water and salt, We've got three flash bangs over here plus the two you have. The Grenade launcher with three rounds, two crates of M-16 Ammo, two crates of AR- fifteen and twelve, then the basics. And the brick of Desert eagle Ammo, forty rounds." Dean replies.

"Gwen, I don't suppose your phone has a full charge?" I ask her, she gives me a strange look but still answers. "Yeah it's half charged, why?" She asks, but I don't answer, instead I leap up onto a higher portion of rocks to get a better view of the swimming pool and the back gate that is trampled down….that's a trap. The hounds are sleeping over there, so that would mean it'd be best to storm the opposite side of the house, but then the demons are over there as well, so if we lure everything over to the trap we can storm the west wing, that window there would be a good way to get inside as well.

But in order to pull of my primary distraction I'd have to get inside first….hmmm.

"Samuel, can you see any kind of Sewer grate down there?" I ask, the senior is quiet for the longest time, his binoculars at his eyes as he looks down into the area.

"Yeah, down at the end of the street there's one." He replies pointing to the bottom of the well concealed bottom of the driveway.

"Okay, that's my in. Here's the plan." I say leaping back down to join the group. "Wait, how come she gets to do this plan? How can we trust her?" Mark demands looking at Samuel.

"Because I said you can trust her, because she's Dean's girlfriend and because if you don't I personally will feed you to a hell hound." Samuel warns the brown haired hunter who looks like a cross between John and Sam. He's tall like Sam, has John's hair color and texture, same green brown eyes and is built like Sam.

"Thanks Samuel…Gwen I'm gonna take your phone and get into the sewer system and get into the house through the basement. Sam correct me if I'm wrong but the paging system panel would be down there as well?" I ask, he nods yes so I continue.

"I'm gonna hook this up to the system for two reasons, it'll lure some demons inside, and I can reprogram it to Sam's phone so that once we're inside we can disable the alarm system. Now, once I'm done with reprogramming I'm gonna give you guys the signal. Mark since you have baseball experience you're going to throw the flash bangs down by that fallen fence. It'll prove to stun the hellhounds for a few minutes, then the holy water grenades once demons start swarming over that direction. Sam, Dean, Samuel, once the third holy water grenade touches down you all need to get to the west wing door. I'll be there to let you in, Sam once you're in it's up to you to hit the Volume button on your phone, and you'll be turning it down. That'll disable the alarm; hopefully it won't be set off in the middle of this madness. Once we're all inside we can go from there." I explain as I fill the click of the desert eagle and strap another thirty rounds to my new jump suit. It's a leather tank top looking thing that apparently came from hot topic Italy that's why it's made of leather; it has a matching pair of mini shorts, and boots.

I have my normal black belt's crisscrossing over my mid section holding the many different weapons I manage to acquire over the days of traveling as well as a new fish net jumpsuit. So in all I'm dressed head to toe in black, exposing way to much skin for this Arizona sun but Dean doesn't seem to mind in the least.

"How long will it take you to get in?" Dean asks. "About twenty minutes, so be ready to grab and go." I warn, at this particular moment I'm putting on a pair of leather gloves that go with this entire outfit so I don't burn the shit out of my hands on that metal sewage grate.

Dean pov

"She's down at the grate." Samuel confirms he's been giving a play by play of Nathalia's every move; she took out two demons on her way down to the street. Then was distracted by something glimmering inside a smaller house on the street, whatever it was she picked it up and tucked it into her belt.

"We're at the Ten minute Mark." Gwen says to Mark who thinks that Nat won't be able to get inside within twenty minutes.

"She's down the rabbit hole, all we can do is wait and pray now." Samuel informs lowering the binoculars….My heart is currently hammering in my chest, I hope she gets through this okay…

Nathalia pov

"Okay, red wire, green wire, black wire…I have no idea what that switch is. Ah, there we go, audio line, push input…acquire information. Got it." I smile to myself as I start messing with the panel inside the switch board for Crowley's paging and alarm system.

"Now to reprogram…shit Sam's number….um, oh right." I mutter as I almost forget Sam's cell number which is basically useless at this point except to do exactly what I'm doing.

"Oh Crowley you'll just love this song." I grin wickedly clicking on Meghan Trainors new release called all about that bass.

As soon as the play button is hit I have thirty seconds to get up the stairs and take out whatever I find inside the kitchen.

Busting through the door I'm greeting by six demons and a hell hound. "Hi-ya puppernino!" I shout at the hound as it leaps at me only to land chest first on one of my two angel blades.

The song kicks up and blasts the sound system, all six demons abandon their post and come at me.

Dean pov

"There's the signal, let's go!" Sam orders back to the others, Mark begins his launching of the grenades in the proper order as the rest of us book it for the opposite wing. The last bang sounds out and Mark comes running to catch up with us with AR twelve in hand as well as three loops of chain Ammo around his body.

Sam pov

We get to the front door with next to no trouble, Gwen stumbled over a loose brick but that's it. Nathalia opens the door and smiles at Dean. "Hi baby." She says in a mock seductress way, Dean pecks her on the lips with a huge grin on his face.

"Nice work kid." Samuel praises, once we're inside Gwen starts laughing mad at the song Nathalia chose, it was released the day before the end of the world. All about that base.

"Thought it was kind of Modern War fair retro style." Nat says as she skips to join the group. "You've gotten cleaner at you're kills." Samuel comments noticing the six dead demons just outside the basement door.

"Not in the least, just trying to get this done quick…so I found this stuck under the corner of the stairs at the house on the street. It looked kinda like something Kevin would hang onto." Nat says handing Dean a ring, it's the one that Kevin always kept with him.

"How was it sitting?" Dean asks. "The dragon was pointing up like this." Nathalia replies striking a pose. "That would be the room above us. I bet Kevin is up there." Gwen replies looking up as if she would actually be able to see inside.

"I can find that out, Dean you take Gwen and Mark up that set of stairs, Samuel take the others and head up these stairs. I'm gonna climb up to that window and see if I can get in." Nathalia orders, no one objects, Dean is about to but Nathalia skips, yes skips out the front door then leaps up onto a trellis that she's able to scale to the overhang.

Nathalia pov

Using some basic gymnastics I'm able to swing my feet backwards and sling myself up onto the over hand outside the massive bay window, and all without being seen by whatever could be inside the room.

Once at the window I carefully peer inside and look around, four demons, one in each corner, there's a huge mahogany table in the middle of the room where an Asian looking kid is sitting staring at a flat square rock. He has a bunch of other spell bowls and ingredients around him; he looks scared but is still refusing to actually translate the tablet.

"Kay, looks like you're going in Nathalia." I tell myself as I grab the desert eagle out and drop the clip, I pull four rounds out and mark them with a devils trap before replacing them into the clip. With the gun holstered I decide the best way to get through this window somewhat quietly is to climb up onto the roof and swing in boots first.

Kevin Tran Pov

I heard a huge commotion outside just about five minutes ago, I have no idea what it was but even that amount of noise didn't draw these four demons out. Not even the random hip hop music that just started booming over the loud speakers a few minutes ago. I'm screwed, Dean and Sam must not have survived the Croatoan attack, I think my mother might be dead. Crowley said she was-

CRASH! I nearly leap through the roof as the massive bay window in front of me busts out as some nutty blonde comes swinging in feet first. She lands just inside in a crouched position, her hand face down in the mass pile of glass.

The four demons in the room charge her way just as she taking to her feet, two twin angel blades are pulled from one of many belts wrapped around her torso. The two closest demons walk right into the blades, she pulls them back and leaps at the two that are behind me.

At the last possible second I regain my bearing and my wits and manage to leap over the table with the tablet to allow this woman as much space for ass kicking as she can because the two demons guarding the door are crossroads demons.

. "Put me down jackass!...Hey that's attached ya know!" Another round of crashing. "Ha! How do you like that?!" More yelling from the blonde, she seems a bit bitchy.

There's a lot of yelling and crashing around before the blonde warrior gets thrown against the back wall beside the bay window

"Asshole!" She shouts dropping her swords only to retrieve a rather massive looking handgun. She pops off two shots before she hits the ground again.

"Hate demons, always treating people like rag dolls and such. Have half a mind to kill em all one by one." The blonde starts grumbling as she picks up her swords and puts them back in their sheath.

Once she's straightened herself out she looks at me. "I'm hoping your Kevin Tran?" She asks. "That depends, are you friend or enemy?" I ask as I to stand up and get myself back in order.

"I'm Dean's girlfriend, the boys are inside the building somewhere along with the rest of their family." The blonde replies extending her hand that isn't cut up and bloody.

"Nathalia Colt." She introduces herself in a less aggressive manner than she did to the demons. "Kevin Tran." I confirm accepting her handshake.

"Nat….Kevin, thank god. Guys I've got em!" Dean voice booms as the door leading out to the hall way busts open.

"Whoa, I got the kid. You knew where I was." Nathalia argues. "Yes sweetheart you got the prophet. Now can you love birds argue over custody right's later? Crowley's here and he isn't happy, Gwen and Sam are down stairs now with the other's trying to hold him off." Samuel interrupts the bickering before it can begin.

"Fifty fifty." Nathalia says in a teasing tone to Dean, he chuckles but walks in closer to hug me. "I thought you two we're dead." I say to him as he releases me to lead us all outside.

Sam pov

"Long time no see their Moose." Crowley says standing in front of a very blown up and mangled Van that we traveled out here in. It's gonna be a long trip home.

"Not long enough, we we're hoping you weren't home actually." Gwen replies. "I got this big brother." Nathalia's voice calls out from behind me. "Kevin! You get back inside the house! Let the adults talk-

"Oh shut up and fight me smartass." Nathalia growls as she comes walking between Mark and I, well more like shoving by. Just as she passes up Gwen she pulls out the desert eagle and pops off two rounds into Crowley chest.

"King of hell babe." Dean informs. "I know, still gonna hurt him more than it will any of us." Nat says as Crowley touches his shoulder.

"OW…You bitch! How rude of you to shoot me, I mean you haven't even taken me to dinner!" Crowley hollers at her. "Oh my bad, you look like my ex-husband. Fat, older than the hills, dumber than bricks and completely obnoxious. Sam might be a moose but you're a goddamned armadillo." Nathalia says pulling out the angel blades.

Everyone in our group finds her words hilarious, even a few of Crowley's demons chuckle at her words, but all laughter stops when Crowley raises his hand to attack Nathalia.

"Damn crossroads demons." Nat sighs seconds before she goes flying straight up and back about thirty feet.

"Nathalia!" Dean shouts after her but she lands on her feet. "Clear the battle field boys! Let momma show ya'll how it's done!" Nathalia shouts as she grabs a few hand grenades.

"Fire in the hole!" She warns, three pins hit the ground and she launches them back behind Crowley.

"You missed Foxy!" Crowley shouts. "Wasn't aimed directly at you…Armadillo." Nathalia replies, the grenades go off and Crowley is blown forward due to the shock wave. Nathalia juts forward and slams the angel blades into his chest and stomach then kicks him back to the floor.

"Ready to tap out yet Crowley?" Nathalia laughs as she lifts both blades up and slams them back into Crowley's chest, the cross roads demon gives an extraordinarily pained holler of pain.

"Nat, don't kill him. He might be useful to us." Kevin warns. "Pardon?" She asks the prophet. "We might need his blood to un do the damage done to our world." Kevin gives a more thorough explanation.

"Hnnn. I was looking forward to ending you Crowley, but what gods book worm says…is law as of right now." Nathalia taunts looking the demon king in the eyes, he glares back at her defiantly.

"What can you do about it? You pull these blades away and you know you'll lose track of me, I'll ghost out of here-

Crack! "Shat uuuup." Nathalia grimaces down after kicking Crowley in the ribs, her eyes meet Dean's.

"Baby you got the colt?" Nathalia asks him. "I got it." I say pulling it out. "Mind putting one right in the back of his neck. Towards the lungs?" Nat asks me, Dean and Samuel move in to help heave Crowley to his feet, he tries to move off the blades but Nathalia just gores them straight through to the hilt of the sword.

"You've no idea what you're doing!" Crowley shouts, but I quickly pull the trigger at the base of his spine, the slug goes straight down and into his lungs proving to keep Crowley in this body and make his powers useless…..


	7. Chapter 7

Echo on the wind chapter 7

Duck Tape day

Dean pov

"Are we lost?" Crowley asks from the end of the Chain Nathalia has him bound in. "Shut up." Sam grumbles for the umpteenth time in the last two weeks. "No, we've passed that stop sign before." Crowley replies, Nathalia sighs and yanks the chain that is linked to his neck, for the millionth time the demon does a face plant into the pavement. He get's right back to his feet grumbling about Nat being a bitch.

"News flash Crowley, we know she's a bitch!" Gwen shrieks at the demon. "All in favor of me killing the demon say I." Nat replies. "If he wasn't important I'd agree." Samuel says running his leathered hands over his face.

"Dean, darling, my love…is there any chance we could stop early, find another vehicle and get it running?" Nathalia begs of me stopping in her tracks. "Nathalia, we cannot just stop. We need to keep moving-

"Samuel I understand we have to keep moving but we'd get back much faster if we actually had a car. Think about, a day or two off the road could be made up for with a running car." Nathalia argues, which is what we've all been saying for the last few days but Samuel won't let us speak long enough to explain that.

"I agree with Nat, so we'll be in one place for a few but it's better than having no shelter, walking at night which is more dangerous might I remind you. Plus we'll gain the miles back in just a few hours." Gwen chimes in. "At this point, I'm making the final say. Nathalia will stay here and watch Crowley, the rest of us are splitting into two groups and going car hunting." I intercept the would be argument between everyone.

"Alright, fine." Samuel growls throwing his arms up, he leans against a fire hydrant refusing to move at all.

"Babe, I'm better at exploring. Why don't you guys stay here and baby sit the demon and I'll be back in an hour." Nathalia asks of me.

"The demon has a name you know." Crowley speaks. "Okay, be careful out there." I amend…

Nathalia pov

"Does no one out here drive trucks or vans?" I scoff as I get down closer to the Havasu Pier, all I can find are small ass trucks hauling these boats that in theory should be towable by such a small truck.

"Of course we could take a few different vehicles…no we need as much space as possible for scavenging, pillaging, and supply gathering." I say to myself as I leap down into the lake to splash some water on my face.

Just as I'm moving back to my feet a map of the area blows by flitting up and slapping right in my face. "pfft." The sound comes out as I'm wrenching the page away from my face.

Looking down at the map I have a clear view of Havasu lake, at the other end of the lake is a river, and if you follow it the right direction it leads down into the Azusa River which takes you down into Los Angeles.

Okay, who says we need a truck, I mean we can always get a truck or something in Los Angeles, god knows we passed quite a few on the way here.

Gwen pov

"Okay! Plan B!" Nathalia's loud voice startles all of us back to reality. "Oh, Dean I take it you've been naughty in the last twenty four hours." Crowley taunts hinting at the medication not a figure of speech referring to a change of plans.

Nathalia closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before she speaks. "So I didn't find a single truck that would be useful to us all. However, I did find this." Nathalia says handing a map over to Dean, he takes a look at it then looks at her.

"You think it'd be quicker taking a boat out to Los Angeles?" He asks. "Yeah, if we can siphon enough gas out of some other vehicles we can get the boat in the water. Stock pile some food on board, I mean we can even bank it for a time to gun down some food along the way. It'll take us out at Azusa river, I know that whole area like the back of my hand. Once we get to the bottom of the fire road we can find a vehicle up there that'll get us back to the city." Nathalia explains mostly to Dean but the entire group is listening.

"Oh goody, a cruise!" Crowley exclaims. "Oh yeah, I stopped at a hardware store on the way back." Nathalia announces, she reaches down to her belt and pull off a huge strip of duck tape, she plasters it to Crowley mouth then reaches to her belt to pull the entire roll off. She tacks the end of the tape to Crowley mouth and wraps it around his head about four times.

"Silence is golden, Duck tape is silver." She sneers in Crowley's face, she slams her fist into his already broken ribs causing him to groan.

"Yes, the sweet sound of quiet." She sighs, with that she turns and takes lead with Crowley being dragged along behind her.

Dean pov

"Don't you think you might have gone overboard with the duck tape?" Gwen asks looking at Crowley who's bound in quite a bit of tape.

"Not really, the extra three lengths of tape are added for extended pain when we finally remove the tape." Nat replies as I flip open the engine compartment of the boat that has the most gasoline in it.

"Okay, this is an easy fix, more to do, but still easy." I announce. "Great, I've got some fishing poles and bait over here. Um….oh god, rotten fish." Gwen heaves as she opens up an ice chest that's been sitting in the sun for the last year and a few months.

The next sound any of us here is Gwen heaving up the beef jerky she's been munching on. "Ew." Nat grimaces.

Quack….and there goes Nathalia. "Babe-

BOOM! "Never mind." Is my follow up comment. "Caught a duck! Good news its pre plucked and it's missing it's head!" Nathalia calls walking back over with the desert eagle in one hand still smoking and the duck in the other missing most of its feathers and it's head.

"Nathalia make yourself useful and go up into that restaurant there, see what you can find…like some aspirin." Samuel says giving her a warning look. She in response tosses the dead bleeding duck into the boat next to me before strolling off towards the building.

"It's like traveling with children, between her and Crowley." Samuel comments as he climbs up into the boat to help me. "How do you figure we fix those two hoses?" He asks. "I'll get to that last I'm sure we can find something…urgh…so tell me Samuel. How'd you come back from the grave? Truth, not bullshit." I ask reaching down to pull a few plugs out of the many tanks. Everything looks good, oil is full, everything else is full.

Plugs are clean, just have to wrap a few exposed wires and maybe top off that, it's now low but still…

Nathalia pov

"Mkay, we've got all the food we can possibly bring along. The wires and those plugs are duck taped. So is the steering wheel and the shifty thingy. And Crowley, so are some of the plastic boxes…yeah we're good to go." I announce proudly as I toss aside the empty cardboard roll that the tape was on.

"You put a whole new meaning to fix it with duck tape." Sam mentions from where he's sitting on the front of the boat reading the last issue of some magazine that Gwen taped over the cover. I can only imagine what he's reading, all I know is if he's reading what I think he is and Anna finds out…love boy better run for the hills or in our case the valley.

Dean takes a seat at the steering wheel that was partially broke apart, I fixed it with some rebar and tap, so he's gonna try and start this thing up.

He tries a few times to get it to start but it finally does, so I take a seat on his lap. "This should be terrifying." Samuel mutters. "Sammy, you might wanna move." Dean warns as he wraps one arm around my waist bringing me much closer to his chest before pulling the boat out into the harbor and putting the thing into full gear forward motion!

Dean pov

"Dean how far you think we'll get on this amount of gas?" Gwen asks about eight hours into the trip. "I'd say about half way before we have to refuel." Sam replies, I take his word for it, even in the impala I just fill the tank and drive until we hit a quarter tank.

Nathalia leans in and kisses me for no reason; I look at her clearly confused by her sudden actions especially in front of the entire family.

"Guess what I found?" She smiles down at me, I give her a curious look and she holds up a thawed out apple pie. "How do you know about that?" I ask. "Sam mentioned it at some point during the trip. When we stop to refuel we're gonna cook as well, I'll get this heated up to." She promises as Mark leaps to his feet and runs to the other end of the boat where two fishing lines are notifying him that he's caught something.

"You want a beer?" Nat offers. "I thought you didn't ask stupid questions?" I tease her, she turns to walk off to an ice chest but I swat her ass, she freezes and looks back with wide eyes.

"Oops?" I say very teasingly, Crowley makes some grossed out noise. "Hey Dean, what's that up ahead?" Samuel asks squinting out to the river ahead of us.

Nat and Gwen follows where he is pointing and both girls shriek. "Military boat!" Nat screams. "Hit the deck!" She warns, she's the only one who doesn't.

"Sam I don't suppose you know how to work this thing?!" She asks pulling out the grenade launcher. "Yeah I do." Sam replies taking it off her hands. "We've got three shots, make it count." Nat says as I steer wide around the upcoming boat.

"Hold your fire! Hold your fire we have no intentions of attack!" We hear from the opposite boat. "Do we trust that?" Nat asks me. "We move in close, they'll see we have a Grenade launcher so they may think twice before shooting." My response pretty much clears up any doubt about moving in closer to see what these militants want.

"Where ya headed folks?" The leader of the platoon asks. "We've got a settlement nearby, we're just heading back." I respond to him. "What's with this guy?" Someone asks pointing to Crowley.

"All is fare in a world with no law." Gwen replies, the men put their hands up as if to apologize for asking. "We should let you know that just beyond that point you're leaving a safety zone. If you like we can give you some supplies." The leader offers. "Depends on what is to offer, we are doing fairly well." Samuel interrupts me before I can reject the offer.

"Medicine, food, clothing or material whatever you prefer. Medical treatment if anyone needs it?" The guy replies.

"We could use medication and Food…some material wouldn't hurt either." Nat whispers into my ear not once taking her eyes off the men aboard the other rig.

"We'll take you up on that offer." I inform. "Just dock up over there and we'll load some stuff up onto the boat for you." The officer explains pointing to a makeshift dock up ahead a little ways.

I nod to him before sending the boat in that direction. "Got a fish." Mark says sounding like a complete moron as he lands the fish.

Nathalia pov

"Miss, if you'd like there's some items over there to browse through." A young officer says pointing to a few tables lined with different items. But I could care less about the tables, I'm looking at a truck with an iron cage on the back, there's four people held captive in the back. One gal in her twenties is wearing a doctor's lab coat. She has a girl to her left with vibrant pink and black hair. "What's the deal with them?" I ask once I recognize the pink haired girl as a girl I once rescued from vampires, her name is Kellie.

"Prisoners to be executed." The kid says. "What would it take to get two of em out…and the kid?" I ask. "Their going to be executed for treason, the pink haired one is going down for attacking one of us." The kid says. "Where's your superior?" I ask stepping out onto the dock. "Nat, watch yourself." Dean warns then slides his eyes towards some Machine gunners aiming this way.

"Sergeant!" The kid calls off towards a white roofed tent; some guy with blonde hair looks this way only to be beckoned over.

"Problem?" The sergeant asks. "Nathalia Colt, the people in that truck I understand are in line for execution. I understand they must've broken some law while in your…district that deserves punishment but might I suggest something that helps you and us?" I ask him, this is the last try and a peaceful solution, after this. I send Dean and the others on their way and I will blow this place up.

"Depends on what your bargain is?" The middle aged man asks. "Exile. You don't want them here, our settlement desperately needs a doctor and I don't believe in killing kids." I explain. "Nat we can barely feed who we have-

"Shut up…Samuel." I warn him, he glares at me but doesn't speak any further. "Exile. I'll tell you what, I'll send the entire lot with you for those dog tags." The sergeant points to the tags around my neck from the officers I killed earlier on.

"They we're infected, I had no choice. I am truly sorry." I say handing the tags over to him. "Let those prisoners out, and bring them this way!" The sergeant shouts, the two guards at the truck reach up and let them out.

Kellie looks directly at me but I shake my head no just barely and give her a firm look, she blinks twice rapidly to tell me she understands.

"Where are you sending us?" The nurse asks, I notice the third and fourth prisoners are no older than seventeen as well.

"Someplace where you will live a lot longer. Sit down and shut up before I change my mind." I order the woman trying to act like the bitch that's just bought slaves. She glares at me partially; I only now realize she has a badly swollen eye that's being hidden by long strawberry blonde hair.

"Okay! We are all set here, medications, food, Material and clothing." The young kid calls up to Dean. "Thank you, give my condolences to their significant others." I say to the sergeant and beckon to the dog tags, but he's looking down at one set, I see a tear fall down his cheek. I momentarily feel bad, I must've taken the life of someone he deeply cared for.

"Where are you taking us?" The doctor begs. "Shut up." I snap back, Dean gives me a confused look, I continue keeping watch with Sam who's still holding the loaded grenade launcher looking a bit sad that he didn't get to use it.

Once we get around the bend in the river I turn to the nurse and kneel down her height. "Sorry, I couldn't let them think you we're going to be let free." I say kindly reaching to brush her hair back. "It's fine, it'll heal." She reassures as tears fall down her cheeks.

"You're the doctor." Dean makes his smart ass remark. "Kellie, are you hurt?" I ask looking her way, she shakes her head no. "Okay…Dean I'll drive can you get the shackles off them please?" I ask of him….


	8. Chapter 8

Echo on the wind chapter 8

Progress

Kevin pov

"Hey Kev, you've been quiet almost the entire trip." Dean comments from a few feet ahead of me where he and Nathalia are resting peacefully on the front of the boat. She's wearing next to nothing, catching as much sunshine as she possibly can before we get to wherever we're going.

"I don't know what to say, Dean. We are the cause of all of this. My mother is dead….I don't, never mind." I reply, I don't even know how to explain what is going through my head right now. I've literally lost everything in just a matter of a year, or has it been longer I don't even know anymore.

"Kevin, it's not your fault. None of us could have prepared for something of this magnitude, besides that is exactly why you have to decode that tablet. Once you finish that we can use the spell to fix this." Sam tries to cheer me up, if he is saying that it must be true, last time I seen him he was a mental wreck, sick with self blame and grief.

"Guess I can start reading then." My reply lands me in one of the chairs with a note pad and pen. Kellie, the rather quiet depressed girl that was among the prisoners Nathalia rescued looks at me. My lord are her eyes gorgeous, like the same color as honey!

Nathalia pov

"Mmmm, it's so nice out here. This is why I love California." I sigh contentedly as Samuel steers down the river, I can tell by the thicker air that we're pretty close to los Angeles already. Even up in Azusa Canyon it's still pretty smoggy.

"Isn't it? Too bad it's not as nice to be breathing this air." Rachel the nurse says as she tending to the injuries on the two teen boys who we're in the same jail with her yesterday.

"Guys, look up ahead." Samuel informs, I lift my head off Dean's bare chest only to see that the water ahead is very, very low. We're still about two miles from where we should land, but it's still close enough to where we need to be that I can lead us out of this canyon.

"Did we go the wrong way?" Gwen asks. "No, we didn't. The dam must have been in the off position back at the fork in the river. The water is lower down here because of that, we're stuck walking on foot from here." My information is followed up by me leaping off the boat into the shoulder deep water. From here I swim to the bank and look down over the slight slope. The water down below is more than deep enough to continue by boat, but we would need something a lot smaller than what we have.

"We can continue down the river if we can find something a lot smaller." I inform everyone that's on the bank.

"We're in the middle of nowhere how do you propose we do that?" Kevin asks as Dean tosses a rope over to me and I heave the boat to the bank.

"We can't just leave these supplies behind." I reply to the kid. "Guess what kid, shit happens and you're the one who insisted on this plan." Samuel says with a very 'this is life kid, deal with it' attitude.

"Sorry Samuel, you trained me, okay? So we're going to have to either camp here or find a quick fix to get this shit back to home base. Now shut you're damn trap and let me think." I reply with the attitude of a teenager.

"She's right Samuel, those medical supplies and food storages are important now more than ever." Rachel interrupts once she's finished taping of Brad's arm that was badly cut open at some point before they came to us.

"Don't hurt yourself Barbie." Mark sneers at me, I give an eye roll trying my best to ignore him. "mmmnt I nk sggston." I hear the muffled sound of Crowley.

"Shut up Crowley, my next step is removing you're vocal cords." I call back, he growls at me. 'iiif rrrrt." He says, the noise still comes out muffled.

"Ya know I've called Dean persistent and irritating before. Even said he was the king of aggravation, but you dear crossroads demon are the king of it!" I shout at him, he rolls his eyes so I bounce a rock off his head.

"btch." He grumbles using his mostly bound feet to toss a bright orange square into the water.

Kevin reaches down to pick it up. "Life raft." He says pointing to the little loop that makes the thing inflate.

"Would everything fit on there?" Sam asks jumping from the engine compartment to the bank that's still a good four feet away. Kevin had to move to a fallen tree and then walk to shore, I figure Sam to do the same but he doesn't he leaps straight across.

"Crowley should call you a gazelle." I comment as Kevin starts down towards the pool below the short water fall. He pulls the tab on the raft and it inflated instantly.

"There's not enough room for everyone on there." Gwen states, she's right, but this bank goes a long way down the river. So we can float the supplies down like a fish on a leash, then we're back to square one a good five miles down the river.

"That river bank looks like it goes a long way down. So I say we just float everything down there and we can walk the bank and tie a rope to the raft." Kevin says pretty much exactly what I was just thinking.

"Like a fish on a leash?" Dean comes back with his snarky remark, the same thing I was just thinking.

"I was just thinking that, I thought it you said it." I laugh, Samuel huffs at the plan but takes the rope from me and heaves to the boat closer to the bank.

Nathalia pov 8 hours later

"Ya know, I think it might be easier to walk a fish." Sam groans as he heaves on the rope, the raft is trying desperately flow with the rapid water we're currently walking next to.

"No Sammy, it just needs to be leash trained." Dean comments and I just laugh. "Alright big Brother, by all means you leash train this thing." Sam growls back.

"Are we referring to our supplies as a living thing?" Rachel questions, no one really answers that question, not even Kellie who's busy kicking a small rock like she has been for the last five miles.

"Ease up boys, we're exactly where we need to be." My interruption has Sam tying the raft rope around a tall oak tree.

"Where is exactly is here?" Mark questions. On the other side of that mountain is a dam, we need to get to that dam. However, we are going to have to camp someplace for the night. We'll never make it across the dam at night, left side is a hundred foot vertical drop into a dust bowl. The other side is a thirty foot drop straight down into water." I explain to everyone.

"Okay, back to square one. How are we getting this stuff, over there. I'm not a mountain goat." Samuel snaps at me. "Samuel cool off before I cool you off. I'm sure Dean will have no issues teaching you how to swim." I warn, I'm really getting sick of the attitudes around here. The bitchass attitude is my thing, no one gets to be the asshole except for me….and Dean can join in when he feels up to it.

"guys." Kevin starts to say. "I'm sorry, who's the survivalist here?" Samuel interrupts. "Obviously not you, you think we should leave the food and everything here. What if Sam falls and breaks his wrist? What then? No medication, nothing to knock is ass out while one of us set's the bone." I bite right back at the senior amongst the group.

"Guys." Kevin tries again. "And what if Sam get's into poison oak?! He can man up and deal with it until we get more supplies!" Samuel shouts. "Hey guys." Kevin again. "Oh my god Samuel, that is you're grandson. Wouldn't you just feel like shit if something happened and he ended up dead because we listened to your senior moment?!" I shout back at him.

"Why are you using me as the village idiot?" Sam says sounding rather irritated and pathetic. "Shut up SAM!" Both Samuel and myself yells.

"You listen to me little lady-

"You listen to me Samuel, I'm the one who's gotten us this far! If you would stop being a grouchy old

BLAM! A very loud gunshot rings out right next to me, everything goes extremely quiet now. "GUYS!" Kevin shouts looking predominantly at me. Even Kellie jumps at the sound, she was sitting on a log with Brad who was sharpening a stick with his pocket knife.

"So that's how you shut her up." Dean mutters under his breath. "I heard that-

"Nathalia please…thank you. The raft is still useful to us on dry land." Kevin says then waits for me to be silence before continuing.

"Did Crowley drop you a few times…maybe an accidental concussion or something?" Mark says sounding rather cynical today. "Well aren't we just a fuckin ray of sunshine today." I hiss at the guy.

"Did you know that foul language is a sign of an under educated child." Rachel informs. "Did you know that none of us care?" Gwen informs being rude compared to her normal visage which is silent but definitely not someone to screw with.

"Oh and you're just a canister of fucking skittles and unicorn farts." Mark replies. "Oh for Christ sake! SHUT UP AND LET THE BOY SPEAK!" Kellie shouts over the bickering, you know it's bad when Kellie speaks, I traveled with her for months and she never said a word to me. "What Kevin, out with it." Sam urges.

"Look….you morons." Kevin says pointing behind all of us. "More off than on most days." Sam mutters. "I will bite you." I threaten, but Dean steps forward and forces me to look where Kevin is pointing.

Tucked back in some brush but wedged between some rocks is a small car frame, tires are still in good condition, the only thing screwed up is the front axle, it's busted, but with a really thick log and some chains we can fix that.

Dean pov

"Okay. So who's gonna be bold enough to test this out?" Gwen asks. "The only one here who would be dumb enough to run into a swarm of demons armed with a hand grenade." Sam comments when he sees me peeking up on side of the crates of supplies.

"She's either really stupid or really reckless." Gwen gives her thoughts. "Trust me Gwen, she's a little bit of both. Honestly most of the village thinks she needs to be medicated for her condition. Even that is questionable on working." Jerry says, Kevin lets out a bit of a laugh at hearing that comment.

"Alright, breaks…well kind of…Dean you'd save me if this didn't stop right?" Nat mutters to herself then asks me.

"Course babe, right after I took a picture with Sammy phone." I reply to her, she glares at me but it's a sarcastic glare so I don't worry too much.

With a deep breath she pulls the wood steak we used to kind of act as a park break, the cart begins to roll and everyone gives a relieved breath.

"Ya'll best climb on before I hit that hill." Nat comments, in a flash everyone is running for the cart…

Sam pov

"I honestly didn't think that would work as well as it did." Gwen laughs, the cracking of a beer is the sound following her words.

"Gotta hand it to you kids. I didn't think this would actually work either, figured you be running to granddad for help." Samuel replies after taking a swig of his own beer.

"Okay, let's see if this actually worked." Nathalia says reaching over into the camp fire with her angel swords to pull out the apple pie that we never got around to actually baking.

"Hells yeah it worked." Dean says excitedly, so the outer edge of the crust is a bit charcoal looking but my brother would probably eat that to.

"So, how long do you think it will take to get back to home base from here?" Gwen asks in passing as Nathalia smacks Dean's hand before he burns himself on the pie that she just pulled off the fire.

"Wench." Dean gripes at her. "I'd say it'll be a good month or so. We hoofed it to get to Kevin, and we also had a car on the way there. We're basically walking from here out, which in itself will take a few weeks. Once we get into the city we might find a truck or something that we can ride back home in. But even if we do, we're holding up in Truckee until Donner Summit thaws out enough to pass through." Nathalia explains to Gwen not even bothering to comment on Dean's insult.

Dean pov

Crackle, snap…crick, crackle. The sound of the camp fire is somewhat of a peaceful sound now; everyone's eaten enough fish to replenish most of lake Tahoe. We've bickered about who's keeping watch first, we've drank four cases of beer between all of us, we've laughed, we've joked and now everyone is sound asleep. Except me, and Nathalia wherever she wandered off to.

"Hey." Nathalia's quieted voice calls out as she steps out of the bushes covered in mud and holding a few catfish.

"Hey yourself mud monster." I chuckle quietly. "Yeah, word of advice, just because the log looks stable does not mean it is. On a good note the mud landed me into some nice sized cat fish." Nathalia replies as she grabs her leather bag.

"Where are you going?" I ask. "Over to the river to clean up. I think Samuel might shoot me thinking I'm a Wendigo if he sees me like this." Nat teases, Samuel opens his eyes and reaches for his gun until he realizes it's just Nathalia being a smart ass, then the old timer goes right back to sleep.

"What exactly is it you do when you wander away from camp?" I ask. "Follow me and you'll find out." Nathalia offers.

"Go ahead son, I'd rather not hear you two and cover your shift. Than be fully awake and have to listen to that all night." Samuel comments. "Samuel you…are very strange and perverse." Nat screws up her face as she says this, I mean more than it already is from being coated thick with mud.

"Hey that's not my business I just don't wanna hear it." Samuel comments. "Well then why'd you comment?" Gwen tosses out, seriously, was anyone actually asleep.

"Maybe that's why they argue. Dean can't get any." Mark says. "Okay was anyone here actually asleep?" Nathalia asks.

"I was." Kevin groans. "Shut and sleep Kevin, everyone pretty much knows the reason those two argue is cause Dean isn't getting any anywhere and she's locked down like fort Knox and Dean can't break that lock." Sam growls out clearly pissed that he can't sleep because of this discussion.

"OKAY! If anyone needs me I'm going to be at the river getting rid of this damn mud." Nathalia says deciding she doesn't like the direction this conversation went.

"I'm gonna watch." I reply with a teasing tone. "The only thing you'll be watching is the back of my hand if you try you're cheesy moves on me." Nathalia threatens.

"Why is it my jokes always end with you back handing, punching, kicking, stabbing or shooting someone? More importantly me?" I ask her, she looks over at me with a very irritated face. "You forgot burning and acid dipping. And because, though I love you, you're a huge pain in the ass." Nathalia replies, she stops for a second reaches back and pulls a twig out of her hair.

"You have no idea how much of a pain in the ass." I reply suggestively, in a flash her hand is across my face. "Don't say you weren't warned." She comments. "Seriously Dean, you had that one coming!" Sam calls after me. "SHUT UP SAM!" I shout back at him….


	9. Chapter 9

Echo on the wind chapter 9

What does she do?

Sam pov

"We have a flat!" Kevin announces from the front of the makeshift go cart. "How do you have a flat tire when the tires are wood?!" Mark calls back, Gwen laughs. "He means the raft went flat." Gwen informs pointing to the deflated plastic.

"Hey guys, what is a western buggie with a flat tire?" Nathalia tosses out from her spot on top of the crates, she's in that bathing suit again tanning.

"Okay, I'll bite. What is it?" I ask. "A horse with a sprained hoof." Nathalia replies. "Seriously Nat, that was so stupid it was actually funny." Kevin informs.

"yeah, I wasn't destined to be a comedian." She sighs happily, she reminds me of a cat right now, she has Dean's leather jacket bunched up under her face acting as a pillow, one arm is hanging off one side of the crate and one leg is hanging off the opposite side. She's just laying up there being lazy, of course I'm guessing that she was out all night exploring again.

"No but I think you and Dean might have been destined to be marriage counselors." Gwen says in her typical Smart ass way.

"I resent that. We get along just fine, we just get along in our way." Nat retorts. "If you call that getting along I hate to see what an argument is." Kevin remarks. "That usually ends with Dean pulling a gun on her and her daring him to pull the trigger. Trust me kid, they are not doctor Phil's star pupils of a perfect couple." Samuel informs.

"Yeah she's a bitch." Dean informs. "And you're a jackass so shut up." Nathalia replies. "Woman, do not make me come up there and let Kevin drive." Dean snaps back. "Hey, was that a poke at Asians being bad drivers?" Kevin demands sounding a bit offended.

"No Kevin, which was a jab at the kid who locked himself in the closet of a boat because you thought that was the safest place. I'm talking about the same kid who's introduction was 'I'm Kevin Tran advanced placement' after running head long into my brother then turning around and running into a tree." Dean replies earning laughter from everyone including myself.

"I thought Sam was the tree." Kevin mutters, I can't help but be at ease listening to this banter, we actually sound like a normal family right now.

Even Kellie and Rachel are working on Kellies' depression problem the same way an aunt would council her niece.

Brad is sitting with the other kid what was his name Randy? Their over at the bottom of the crates sharpening sticks again, Samuel and Mark are leant against the ice chests and gas can's half asleep. Gwen is sitting on a shorter stack of the crates. Kevin is up front with Dean and I'm sitting on the crate behind Nathalia under her leg that is still hanging over my head.

Nathalia pov

My feet hit the pavement, we've been traveling for twelve hours now and we're only just now getting to the narrow foot bridge. And mind you this metal structure is the only over the thousand foot chasm between this mountain and the next one.

"Oh goody. Another challenge just what we need." Kellie remarks as we all take a look at the bridge, about a hundred feet across and only four feet wide. There's no way this cart thing is going to make it across.

"It's a challenge we will work on in the morning. It's almost midnight let's just sleep." Gwen yawns; even Samuel is too tired to argue with that statement.

So with that I watch as everyone starts to unpack and get camp set up for the night.

Meanwhile I grab my leather bag and head off across the bridge, however I stop when I hear foot steps behind me.

"You never got to exploring last night." Dean says from a few steps behind me, he's right I ended up going back because I was too cold to wander around anymore.

"Okay, follow the leader?" I ask him, he nods in approval so I continue back across the bridge till we're just inside the trees.

Dean expects me to follow the trail but I don't I leap up into the brush and clamber into a tree to get a better look of where the trail goes. And it goes off to the right which is the fire trail, however, something I didn't notice last winter when I came through here at three AM. Off to the left is an abandoned camp site. There are some Croats down there right now, but if I can find a way down there I can kill them and maybe find a vehicle to bring up here and we can get back down the mountain much more easily.

Forgetting Dean is with me I leap down out of the tree and start running down the trail, the trail leads across a rather wide ridge then comes to a fork. Either go left and off a rather steep cliff into a small lake pond. Or right down the fire trail, the fire trail would seem to be the safest bet for travelers on foot, but for me I'm not out here for safety. I'm here to fix things, or screw shit up, usually it's the latter of the two, but right now my goal is to fix a huge problem.

So without a single thought I hurtle myself off the cliff and down into the lake pond. I don't remember Dean is with me until I surface and he's hitting the water right where I was moments ago.

He comes up and looks at me with wide eyes. "Are you insane?!" He shouts. "Typically, yes." I reply, then splash water in his face and swim for shore.

"So you go out at night tearing shit up, leaping off cliffs just on a whim?" Dean asks. "Dean, I said you could follow, I didn't say you could question the things that I do that I don't even question doing." I reply quietly as possible, I pull the angel blades free as I walk towards the only light source here. A street lamp placed over the outhouse.

The Croats are underneath it looking up at the bugs flitting around the light, it's all they have for food right now. Somewhere nearby I can hear Nicki Minaj playing over someone's radio, I would like to bet that song has been on repeat for a while.

Before Dean can stop me I launch into battle, lopping off Croatoan infected heads, Dean pulls his demon knife but I warn him to stay back until I drop the last one.

"You tell me to stay out of it, yet you can get bit to." Dean snaps. "I'm Immune?" I remind him, he shrugs at me but says nothing more.

"So what are we down here for?" Dean asks, I point to the parking lot ahead of us where there are several vehicles parked as well as a very nice coach motor home.

"Huh." Dean grunts, he continues following me thinking I'm going straight for the vehicles but I stop and slice open camping tents looking for anything usable. Sleeping bags, lanterns, fishing poles, rope, anything.

"Dean, this you can help with. Go investigate, just don't get infected okay?" I say to him, he nods and goes over into another tent to investigate.

Dean pov

"I have another question." I say to Nathalia as we gather up the things we dug up in the camp sites.

"What's that" She asks as she piles the stuff into a little plastic playschool wagon, I toss my armful of items down.

"If you are constantly finding things, where do you put everything?" I ask her. "Usually if it doesn't fit in this I don't bring it with me. Lately I've been putting things in that crate I usually fall asleep on. And on the same note, I'm not always scavenging. I scout ahead and take down demons and Croats, makes things easier on the rest of us." Nat replies then turns to drag the wagon towards the Mercedes off road I broke into for her.

"How many times have you taken on those things by yourself?" I demand. "Dean, didn't anyone ever tell you? This entire last year before I met up with you, I was traveling alone, that's how I've become so good at working out problems. Scavenging, Samuel taught me everything I know about basic survival, the…primal side of things didn't come into effect until all this happened." Nathalia explains beckoning around us to the dead bodies and destruction.

"I knew you we're alone but I didn't realize you didn't travel with a group ever?" I reply to her explanation, she shrugs then starts tossing things into the car.

"Can you manage to get into that Jeep over there?" She asks as she points to a brand new white jeep grand Cherokee.

"Yep…

Sam pov

"Where the hell are they? Nathalia is generally back by now. Do you think their hurt or something?" Gwen stresses, just as I'm about to declare that I'm gonna go searching for them I hear a car honking. I look across the bridge to see a newer Mercedes off road, Nathalia driving and Dean in a white jeep Cherokee behind her.

"No, they found cars." Samuel informs as if we didn't notice that already…

Kevin pov

"Sorry it took us so long to get back. We we're up all night trying to get these cars to start, then once they started we needed at least our normal two hours Z time." Dean apologizes to everyone except Samuel who's driving the white jeep behind us, in that car he has Kellie, the doctor and the two boys.

"That's fine, we we're just worried something happened to you both." Gwen informs from the seat behind mine.

"So what exactly do you do when you take off?" Sam asks Nathalia who just cracks a smile. "A girl has to keep some of her secrets." Nathalia replies as she floors it to go over a dip in the road.

"Wahoo!" She yowls happily. "Nathalia, this is not an off roading camping trip." Mark reminds but the blonde appears not to hear him, if she does she is not listening because she's on a straight away with a slope that goes up and she's not slowing down.

"She didn't get to play on the way up there. Just hang on." Dean warns everyone, in a flash we're scrambling for seat belts. Who would've thought that we'd actually wear them after we get to a point where there is no law saying we have to.

"AHHHHOOO!" Nathalia howls excitedly as we haul ass down the dirt fire lane, she only slows down for turns or boulders in the road, then she rock climbs over them instead of going around.

This is going to be a very long ride, I think to myself as I decide to give up on reading the tablet for right now before it flies out of my hand knocks someone out…..


	10. Chapter 10

Echo on the wind chapter 10

Home sweet home: sort of

Nathalia pov

"Damn that was fun!" I exclaim as Samuel just now gets to the gas station I know still has to have fuel in it, I walk inside and slide a credit card that is being held in someone's skeletal remains and then punch the right buttons on the register.

"No Nathalia, that was terrifying." Gwen groans as she runs for the bathroom, she had to stop for a bathroom break fifteen miles ago. I tested her bladder strength by hitting every bump, dip, and boulder patch I could find.

"Ya know, I've been in less pain after crawling out of my grave." Dean groans trying to stretch out his bunched muscles.

"You kids have fun?" Samuel asks. "Hell yeah I did. Everyone else is complaining." I say then skip out the door towards the car.

Dean pov

"Why'd we stop?" Samuel asks from the driver's door of the car. "Just need a minute." Nathalia says trying to remain holding strong to her poker face.

"Alright, well can you suck it up quick. I'd like to get through los Angeles sometime today." Samuel informs, Nathalia nods once then puts the car back into gear to inform Samuel we're moving.

"Dean give me your phone please." Nathalia orders, I do as asked and she takes it and plugs it into the stereo.

A familiar song starts playing and everyone in the car falls silent, this is the only way we'll tell what is going on in that blonde head we love so much.

'Ya know I'm a dreamer, but my hearts of gold, I had a runaway high, so I wouldn't come home low, just when things went right doesn't mean they we're always wrong…..take me to your heart, feel me in your bones, just one more night and I'm off this dull and windy road. I'm on my way, I'm on my way, home sweet home. Tonight, tonight, I'm on my way, I'm on my way, home sweet. Ya know that I seen too many romantic dreams, up in light fallin off the silver screen. My heart's like an open book, for the whole world to read….sometimes nothing keeps me together at the seams….I'm on my way, just set me free, I'm on my way home sweet home.'

The all too Familiar Motley Crue song hums over the radio's as Nathalia hits hard on the gas pedal driving through the canyon road. I look over to her and wonder why this song seems to bring her to peace, and why she just randomly stopped back there.

"This is the area I was "Raised" in. Tujunga, not a good neighborhood at all, I don't think there are many homes around here I didn't live in when I was a kid. Basically anyone who owned a house was a foster parent and not a very good one. But I still called this place my home, I ran the streets here and lived like a damn queen. I had friends, got into trouble, drank way too much…this is my home." Nathalia explains as the song comes to an end.

Looking around me I see rather slummy looking homes, businesses that look like they belong in some sci-fi horror book as the black market area of a city.

I can't imagine that it looked much better when it was a functioning portion of the city.

Nathalia switches the song to Paradise city by Guns N roses just as we're hitting the freeway heading towards Nevada.

Once we're on a solid paved road she floors it, so does Samuel. "It's a straight shot home folks." Sam says punching the roof excitedly as Nat brings the car up to a hundred and eighty. She expertly dodges wrecked cars and debris in the road as if they weren't even a real threat to our safety.

I hope that this swift drive through LA brings her to terms that she's safe with me, that she needs to just bury the hatchet and move on.

Nathalia pov

"Are we there yet?" Samuel asks through the two way radio. "Not even. I'm gonna go ahead and stop up here in Stockton. Be warned and arms those boys, last time I was there it was crime central but I can get us a shit ton of Ammo and some construction supplies." I inform Samuel.

"Alright sounds good, lead the way night N gale." Samuel says using the radio name he came up with four miles back.

I take the first off ramp into Stockton but I don't see much of a threat this time around, honestly I see a lot of dead bodies that are a few weeks old. A few Croats wandering around, Dean takes two out Sam hits the third.

"Where are we heading to?" Dean asks. "There's a Lowe's just up ahead that is locked down. I doubt anyone would have been able to get in except maybe a team of experts. We might be able to get a lot of useful stuff from there. Then just a few miles down the road is a home depot. I figure we can refuel over there." I explain to Dean as I turn into the Lowes parking lot. All the cars in the lot have been torn apart and ransacked but the store looks virtually untouched. You can see where people tried to bust in the windows of the doors but couldn't. the plants in the nursery are well overgrown which mostly blocks the back doors. And every other entrance is key coded and bar locked from the inside.

"Okay, how do we get in here exactly?" Rachel questions. "Do the one thing that is most obvious that no one would think of." I reply skipping out of the car and over to a Toyota tundra that has the keys in the ignition.

Thankfully the truck starts up with little protest. I pull out of the parking place and straight up to the drive way I came in through then hit the gas pedal. The car speeds down the parking lot and I drive it straight through the doors.

As I'm stepping out of the truck everyone is walking in except Sam and Samuel who've been left to guard the place.

"Hi welcome to Lowe's can I help you find anything?" I say sarcastically, Dean shakes his giving me an eye roll as he drags me towards the lumber yard.

"Gwen take the others and find nails, screws, bolts and power tools!" I shout after her, she gives thumbs up and they head the other direction.

Sam pov

"How long has it been since you guys left Donner Summit?" Samuel asks lighting up a cigarette. "um…we've gone about a month now." I reply giving it some thought. "By the time we get to where we need to be I figure it'll be another few weeks?" Samuel guesses. "Why think that?" I ask my grandfather.

"Did you happen to notice the fact most of the gas cans are empty, and we haven't found any other source of gasoline all day?" Samuel reminds, I nod in understanding.

"I'm sure we'll figure something out. I'm just hoping things thawed out early." I stress my hope to my grandfather as I hear a big rig attempting to start up.

"Like I said, they'll figure it out." I laugh at the look on Samuel's face. "They are relentless, how do you deal with it? Especially Nathalia, she's like a cross between an animal, a bitch, and a little kid….she never used to be like that, she was-

"Pure evil, constantly scowling always guarded. Yeah, she only just started acting like this over the last few months. Dean has been really, really trying to get through to her. Those two clicked the moment they met and she punched him in the face." I inform Samuel who scoffs with an eye roll.

"They seem least likely to be a good couple, but the truth is, they are wonderful together when they want to be." I inform as that big rig finally turns over, I hear air breaks then Nathalia's loud mouth.

"Dean! It's on but I don't know how to drive this thing!" She shouts. "Just don't touch anything, let us load the truck up first!" Dean shouts back. "Guess we should move the cars over there?" Samuel suggests. "Suppose so." I sigh, I'm really just eager to get back into my bed and sleep for a few weeks and have Anna in that bed with me. I hope she's okay and hasn't gotten sick, or worse…

Dean pov

"You think the summit is thawed out some?" Nat asks from the passengers set, she's been asleep the last four hours of the drive after we left home depot. We have Samuel behind us in another rig hauling more items we pulled from the store, with everything we have, we'll be able to get all the construction done that we needed done and everyone will have electricity and running water.

"Stick your hand out the window, it's actually really warm out right now. It was raining about an hour back, we might actually be in luck and be able to drive straight home." I reply to her as she glances back at Crowley who's making noise with the chains.

"thrrry." He muffles out. "Whatever, you're a demon. You aren't sorry for shit." Nathalia says rather irritated, she never has been a morning person according to Samuel.

"Even if it is thawed out, can these diesel munchers make it through that heavy of terrain?" Nathalia asks as Samuel chimes in through the radio.

"Dean, I just got an signal from Bobby? He's trying to contact your dad." Samuel says. "What wave?" I ask him.

Nathalia pov

"One of three AM." Samuel replies, Dean clicks to that station. "Bobby this is Dean you out there?" I ask. "Yeah son I am, where's your dad?" Bobby's voice crackles through. "Probably asleep, I wouldn't know for sure. Me and the gang are traveling back with good news, we got Kevin and the tablet." Dean breaks the good news.

"That's my boys! How is Kevin?" Bobby questions. "Doing better now that he isn't with Crowley, we also stumbled across Samuel and the others. Where you at?" Dean asks. "Just at the bottom of the summit, everything has thawed out, but we may be stuck a few days. The bridges is a bit flooded right now. Don't know if it's gonna be passable or not." Bobby explains.

"Well, we're coming back in two rigs so let's pray that water goes down and the bridge doesn't wash out." Dean says.

"Your group found supplies?" Bobby asks. "Yeah, we came in through Stockton, Nat found a few places to stop in at. Of course everyone did their part in some way. We also raided a few liquor factories, a beer factory, and a cigarette shop." Dean informs Bobby who sounds as tired as I feel, I've slept for four hours but it feels as if I didn't sleep a wink.

"How long out are you?" Bobby asks. "About…another three hours. We're just now getting out of Elk Grove. Any road hazards to worry on?" Dean says.

"None that I passed. I'd keep an eye open though, I seen some military vehicles cruising the streets so don't stray into the city." Bobby gives us the warning, great, just what we needed, to get this far and end up in a fire fight with military agents…..


	11. Chapter 11

Echo on the wind chapter 11

Village home

Dean pov

"Sam! What do we do from here?!" Gwen shouts over the rain thundering down. "I have no idea!" Sam shouts back as Nathalia and I dare to step out of the big rig to take a look at the bridge.

"We should try and cross!" Nathalia decides. "What?! Hell no! That's a terrible idea!" Bobby shouts at us leaping down out from the back of the truck.

"It's our only option, if we wait any longer that water is going to push the bridge down!" Nathalia hollers back at Bobby.

"And if we try and cross we could get seriously stuck! And then what ya idjit!" Bobby shouts at the blonde, but I'm looking at one key point in this river where some tree's and other debris has washed down and formed a make shift dam.

"Nathalia! Give me a grenade!" I shout at her, she looks at me curiously but hands over one of the grenades strapped to her hip.

I pull the pin and throw it right into the dam, a moment passes and I wonder if it's actually going to detonate, just as I'm about to ask for another and try again the dam blows sending mud, dead fish, and other things air born.

But the water gathering at the bridge drops down just enough that it's passable, for a little while anyhow.

"We need to move fast! The rain is heavier further up river, so we gotta get across before the water makes it down here!" Sam shouts out turning back for the truck Samuel is still in with Kevin and the survivor rescues from that military base.

Nathalia pov

"Wow, I cannot believe we made it." Gwen sighs from the back seat of the big rig, I ring my hair out on the front carpet. "It's going to be a bitch getting up and over the summit." Dean replies trying to gain speed as we get to the base of the fire road.

"Let's just hope we can make it up." I reply as Gwen decides to make herself comfortable in the bed to catch some shut eye before we have to unload this shit in this rain storm.

"Nat, do you think the village presumes us dead like they did the group?" Dean asks me, I find this question random and very un Dean like.

"Are you kidding me, they know. You and Sam are Winchesters, it's gonna take a little more than the apocalypse and Croats to destroy you….permanently." I reply as I move from my seat to Dean's lap, his arm wraps around me for a brief moment. Time to shift gears again, of course the truck is protesting this the entire time but we're still gonna try and make this rig up the summit.

"Still, we've been gone nearly two months I believe." Dean says, I lean back to crane my neck placing a kiss on his neck. "It's alright; they'll be eager and happy to have us back. Especially when they see we have supplies and more people." My explanation to Dean seems to have him relax some; I run my hand over his cheek and laugh. "And you need to shave my love." I laugh; he cracks a smile hearing that.

"Do you ever panic in difficult situations?" He says now, I guess the question is fitting, we're trying to haul three, fully loaded big rigs up a seventy degree angle, in the mud, and pray to a god that isn't home that no ice chunks come tumbling down. Or no mud slides, fallen trees or anything else that would cause us to lose speed or stop altogether. If we stop, we're screwed, there's no way these trucks will get moving again on this grade if we stop. And then once we reach the top of summit pray that the summit has opened up enough to actually get through into the village. Yet I'm sitting here realizing that Dean needs to shave, not the least bit worried about the trouble outside.

"And do what with that panic, what's the use in panicking over something I cannot control…besides I trust you know what you're doing." My encouragement seems to give Dean a much unneeded ego boost, the truck protests even more as he puts the pedal to the metal and shifts gears again.

Sam pov

"I am really regretting climbing into this truck." I comment in general as a massive boulder comes screaming past the truck on my side.

"Why is that Son? You don't trust you granddad?" Samuel asks clearly amused with my panic.

"Not that, it's just I always imagined when I die, I'd be going out doing something incredibly risky with my brother." I reply as Dean and Bobby's trucks scream out, these vehicles are not happy about trying to make this grade and through such slick mud.

"We should be coming into a rock flat up here. Keep the trucks steady; once we get around this bend we're home free. Over." Bobby informs.

"Yeah what about the steeper point in the hill up ahead?" Samuel asks through the CV radio. "We go around that here in a minute, just keep tail gating." Bobby replies…

Anna pov

"Are you feeling alright?" Mary asks as she takes a seat on the front porch with me, I look out into the village with a frown.

"No, I miss Sam something fierce." I explain to Mary, my eyes scan the village, just about everyone is awake, it's four in the morning and we all have to come out and work on finishing the last twenty feet worth of wall. Gadriel is injured after a sneak attack from demons outside the walls of the village; four of six peacekeepers are dead from the flu. John has a head cold, Mary is gonna pop any day and bring a new baby into the world, and to top everything off, the food supply is beyond critical after one of the walls collapsed in the barn and destroyed half the food we had packed in snow blocks in there.

"Hey! Do you guys hear that?!" John shouts from the front porch across the way, I listen more carefully for anything other than the rain that is hammering down in buckets.

"That's the sound of a big rig." Mary informs. "There's more than one, the boys are back!" I shout eagerly launching my coffee cup off to the porch as I leap off the porch running for the back gates, which by all reason is actually the front gate. According to John the whole back gate thing was figured out by Dean Logic, so that really explains everything.

Just as I am reaching the center road of town the rain completely stops and the sun starts to come up over the mountain summit pretty much erasing all clouds in sight.

"Their back! Open the gates!" I scream out, everyone inside their cabins steps out. "Sam and Dean are back!" I shout over my shoulder.

"They've returned!" The call rings out through the village, but I don't care to stop and make sure everyone knows right now.

Just as I'm reaching the gates to the village, I see them parting to let in the three big rigs John heard coming up the grade.

Sam pov

I leap down out of the rig before anyone else does; the village looks absolutely amazing right about now. The rain and dark clouds have vanished, there's fresh growth of trees and grass as well as every other kind of plant you'd find in the forest. Birds are flying around from tree to tree; the villagers are stepping out of their cabins into the rain soaked ground to see what all the commotion is about.

Truly amazing, we've made it home-

"SAM!" I hear the familiar voice of Anna, looking to the main road through the village I see Anna, drenched from head to toe, soaked in mud, but eager as all hell to see me.

Within a second her tiny form crashes into mine her lips locking with mine, she's shaking, I'm not sure if it's from excitement, cold, or both. All I know is she's healthy, happy and still in love with me….

John pov 4 days later

I could tell by looking at everyone when they arrived that the journey has been a long one, but I can't imagine that it was a bad thing. As soon as Nathalia and Dean we're out of the truck they stood there kissing for the longest time. She seems to have calmed down considerably in her time away, as well as completely fallen in love with Dean, something I'm not entirely happy about but she's also acting much different than she did before she left.

Samuel brought three Campbell's and Winchester back home having followed Dean and Sam through this entire journey to rescue Kevin.

No casualties in the process, which is even better news to us.

Most of the village stayed in their cabins after receiving the news that we had the next five days off work so everyone could rest and figure out what needed to be done now that the damn blasted rain has finally stopped.

I swear on my life it rained here for three weeks straight!

But now, everyone that was traveling has rested up and recovered enough to decide what to do so we're all gathered in the typical meeting room where Nathalia stands next to Dean waiting for all of us to settle down.

"So, there is a lot to report from this trip." Nathalia starts as Dean goes into the bedroom to wake Kevin up.

"Outside of the limits Bobby has been traveling through, there are no survivors that we seen, there's not even any sign of intelligent life. Just Croatoan infected humans, I took down well over a thousand Croats while traveling there and back. Sam, that answers the question of what I really do when I take off at night." Nathalia says to Sam who looks confused at the number Nat just throughout.

"On another note, with well over sixty people having traveled back with Bobby Dean and I have decided that we're going to add more cabin and an entirely different section to the village. Where the wall isn't finished? We're going to extend out that way using the supplies Samuel and Dean hauled back. Obviously there we're no casualties, in fact we brought back more Campbell's and Winchesters…Casstiel help me there are more of that blood line still alive." Nathalia says sarcastically getting everyone laughing.

"I see that you managed to get the water thing dug out while we we're gone, so I'm gonna over with Rachel to take a look at Gadriel and see how long it will be before he's back on his feet and can help Cass open up the river. Um….and the best news of all out of this entire trip…not only did we rescue Kevin Tran and tablet…we've captured Crowley." Nat says Sam guides Crowley in who's bound in chains and shackles and Dean luring Kevin in with a cup of coffee and the tablet.

"Come on Kev, get the coffee and the tablet." Dean teases. "I'm not a dog you jackass." Kevin gripes as he takes the coffee and tablet off Dean.

"So mission successful." Dean concludes. "Should I give my report now?" Anna asks quietly leaning over to Mary. "Yes. Now is a good time." Mary replies kindly, so Anna stands up.

"Okay, so um. While you we're gone, we mostly finished the wall, we demon proofed everything and John finished that demon power washer thing you came up with. It was installed, we added more guard shacks between the walls but we didn't think to add a drain so it flooded, we added a drain and put the guard shacks a few feet higher off the ground. As you noticed the river is almost finished, the plan at this point is to send the peace keepers out to catch ducks, geese and things to put up at the pond to keep the bugs down to a minimum. Ehhhhummm, oh and heres the report on the food storage, I haven't flexed it from what you guys brought home. Either way hunting is a must at this point. We managed to get everything running…..


	12. Chapter 12

Echo on the wind chapter 12

Luck has run out

Nathalia pov

"Dean!" I yelp, he's just run up behind me and dumped a bucket of water on me while I was petting one of the puppies that was born a month ago.

"The river is running!" He announces as he pitches the bucket and starts running. "Winchester that is not funny!" I shout with laughter in my voice, the chase is on now, I run after him narrowly avoiding crashing into Sam who's busy digging his own little pond that extends over to Anna's house.

"Nat! Would you watch where you're running?!" Sam shouts at me as I leap over his now ducked down form and over the small trench he's dug.

"If it's not funny then why are you laughing?" Dean calls after me as Anna goes over to Sam to kiss him and tell him to calm down.

Dean leaps over onto one of the rocks by the water fall that feeds the rest of the village thinking that I won't continue after him while he's standing there.

"Nathalia no!" Mary yelps as I launch off the grassy bank onto the floating wood platform then from there to Dean.

"NATHALIA!" Dean shouts looking panicked as I tackle him off the falls, both of us plummet straight down into the water below.

Once we've bubbled back to the surface Dean is looking at me with wide eyes and I start laughing. "Woman! That is not funny!" He shouts, I just splash him and start swimming off towards the upper bridge, that was something none of us thought about, the water way goes through three of the streets in the village, how are we supposed to move things from one end of the village to the other.

"Hi Jerry! You seen Gadriel?!" I call up to the bridge where Jerry is standing talking to one of the other peacekeepers and Temple.

"No but you have company." Jerry replies rather confusedly, I glance up to see Dean now has his shirt off and is swimming after me.

"No, no, Dean I surrender!" I yelp as he swims towards me every intent of throwing me back a few feet.

"Ha! I Win!" He exclaims lifting me completely out of the water as if I we're a trophy. "Yeah, yeah you win!" I laugh as he lets me drop back down but catching me before I go under the water completely.

"Okay Children, should I remind you that you've got work to do?" John snaps, his stern voice is off to the right, I look his way to see a very pregnant Mary smiling down at us.

"Ease up John, they've both earned a brake just as much as Kevin has." Mary says as John helps Dean out of the water, Dean reaches back and lifts me out.

It's so warm out today I don't even think that we need to change; I'll be dry in no time, so will Dean.

"Gadriel is looking for you, Nat, he's finished with demon and angel proofing all the cabins. Both Cass and Gad have angel approved the demon walls and the extension of the village." Mary says with a smile on her face.

"Alright, Mary, I have a simple task for you. Go back to the cabin, and start righting out the calendar for this month, we have a gathering tonight so everyone that's new can learn all the ropes and be placed in their groups." I ask of the motherly Winchester who's come to adopt me as her daughter.

"Okay, will do. You just keep giving me these seemingly important tasks and see what happens." She warns before strolling off towards the cabin.

"John can you get the hunting party together and send them down to the north fork? Maybe lead them or send Bobby out?" I suggest to John, I've found rather quickly that you don't order John Winchester around, he doesn't listen very well. He's still to used to being in charge.

"Sounds good, I'll go and bring Bobby along." John says, like I said, I made that sound to much like an order so now he's gonna do as asked but do it his way.

"Jerry, can you get the peace keepers together and go inspect the new cabins, make sure everything has the basics?" Dean asks, he gives a curt nod then bids Temple good day.

"Temple, go have the guards get those shacks cleaned? It smell like…hell in there. And they are not allowed to eat inside the cabins anymore. I now have to waste supplies to get those floors and walls sanded and stained." I inform the woman, she glares at me but does as asked.

"Gadriel! Casstiel!" I call out, I really don't want to go chasing after the angels today. They appear directly in front of me looking eager to be put to work.

"I have a simple task for you two today. Jerry and peace keepers cannot leave to go duck catching. So I need you to figure out how to get this river filled with fish and everything else that goes in a river, as well as ducks, geese, and all of that. The seeds that are planted in the cement break, I need those growing, as well as some trees, we really need more trees around here." I say beckoning around the village in general.

"Why do you keep giving us the easy stuff?" Gadriel asks. "Because we're humans and to us the task's I give you are not easy ones. And because you're angels and you know what belongs in that water, we don't." I reply to them sucking up just a little.

"Dean, take your brother and Anna down to the gathering area with a team, get that cleaned up. Make sure that the kids are getting on their chores. Can I have a puppy?" I say quickly. "Okay." Dean replies.

"YAY!"I exclaim then turn tail running for the litter of puppies that are kept up with Rachel and Kellie, they pretty much over sea everything that is not yet placed with someone.

"Wait what?! Nathalia…damn it!" Dean shouts after me…

Dean pov

One o'clock, damn, we've all been up since four, when will all of this building and settling in end? BANG! BANG! BANG! Three gun shots ring out within the village, both Sam and myself turn and run out of the tree's back towards the village.

Nathalia is already standing out in the grazing field having jumped five fences to get where she is instead of running around the corrals for the different live stock animals we have around here.

"What's going on?!" She demands of Temple who's holding the gun that just fired the shots, looking ahead of the woman I can see four people on the ground bleeding badly, as well as a very large bear, Charlie is among those on the ground.

"Charlie!" I shout out for the red head I consider a sister, running up to her with Sam and Nat behind me I realize Charlie is the least injured of the four.

"RACHEL! SOMEONE GET RACHEL DOWN HERE!" I shout back to Temple who's already running in the doctor's direction.

"Sam give me your shirt, Dean you to." Nathalia orders, we both do as asked as Charlie sits up, in a few moments our shirts are being used to stop the bleeding of the three men laying here.

"Jerry? Jerry can you hear me?" Nathalia asks as his body jolts. "He's going into cardiac arrest, I need…

Nathlia pov

"How did that bear get in here?!" I shout at the guards, even Temple who's looking really scared right now, of me, Dean, Sam, and John.

"None of us did, the gates have been closed all day. Ask John, they never even got out of the village." Temple tries to reason.

"Bullshit, we have two dead men and one still in urgent condition. Now, here's how this is going to work…Temple is being placed on watch, John will be here personally babysitting all of you until someone owns up to leaving that gate opened, or unattended. The boys will be looking into who fucked up, when they find who did it, you're dead. If you step forward and speak now, I'll go easy on you." I snarl, Temple objects.

"Are you kidding me?! Who the fuck do you think you are Nathalia?! Ever since Dean put you in Second of command, you've taken over this damn village. I refuse to be reprimanded by you!" Temple says getting right in my face.

"Dean?" I ask. "Be my guest babe." Dean replies, in a flash I slam my fist into Temple's face, she fumbles to ground but recovers and comes after me again throwing punch after punch but missing with every swing except one. I grab her by the collar of her shirt and slam my fist into her cheek bone a few times then pound one hit to her stomach before throwing her to the ground heaving, the wind knocked out of her and bleeding.

"Sam, escort her to Rachel, please?" I ask of him, he moves forward helping her up. But I grab her chin making her look at me.

"Let that go as a warning to you, this is my village as much as it is Dean's, what the superiors say…goes…and Dean is mine." I sneer at her before pushing her face away; she spits blood to the ground.

"This isn't over Nathalia Colt. You will regret this." Temple threatens but I don't believe her, not even she's that stupid.

"Would anyone else like to say anything?" I ask looking at the new men and two women amongst the guards, everyone looks at one another then shakes their head no.

"Nathalia, might I speak?" One of the younger girls asks. "Sure." I reply to her. "In the few weeks I've been here, I've noticed some rather strange things." The gal says.

"Sorry dear what's your name again?" I ask her. "Alison. My post is up by the power washer, over the last weeks I've noticed that the water pump has been losing screws, the hose fell off yesterday. I reported it to Temple but she said that it's always been that way. I know it hasn't, then I noticed a decent sized hole in the wall early on this morning, again I told Temple. She did nothing." Alison explains.

"Has anyone else reported to Temple and been ignored?" Dean asks feeling it's time for him to step in.

"I have, I sighted that very same bear sniffing at the nutty pine over there, I figured we should chase it away or in the very least warn John. She said it was fine and would leave on its own, I've reported all of this to her on a log sheet." One of the senior guards says handing a page to Dean, he reads over the mass list.

"None of this has been reported to us, do you think she's doing this on purpose?" John informs reading over Dean's shoulder.

"Nathalia?" Dean says when I abruptly turn to walk away, all of this leads back to a conversation I had with Temple a while back, before we left to get Kevin. We we're actually kind of friends at that time, I didn't trust her because of one thing she said. She said that the day she put eyes on Dean she swore she would stop at nothing to have him, and that meant murder if all else failed.

"Nathalia!" Dean shouts after me. "Hey, what's the deal?" Dean asks getting in front of me. "Temple is trying to frame me." I say outright.

"What?" Dean asks. "She's trying to frame me, we had a conversation a while back and she told me that she swore to herself the moment she met you that she would stop at nothing to have you, even if that meant murder. Now over the last few weeks she's been putting blank envelopes in the kitchen right before I'm due to walk in the cabin. She only does that when people are near the cabin to notice her doing this. I'll bet you she's up there bullshitting Sam right now." I explain to Dean who opens his mouth to speak but it's Sam's voice I hear.

"Actually she did, she said that you threatened her because you we're worried about her stealing Dean from you…of course I am smart enough to realize it's all lies. But now I'm wondering what else she has done?" Sam informs.

"It doesn't matter right now, we need to get to the funeral. We say nothing about this until we figure out how to handle the situation." Dean gives the final word, both Sam and myself nod in approval.


	13. Chapter 13

Echo on the wind Chapter 13

Chaos: Temple vs Nathalia, New winchester

Dean pov

"Dean?" I hear Nathalia right beside my bed all of the sudden, cracking my eyes open I see it's about one in the morning and she's leant against the edge of my bed looking back at me.

"Hm?" I grunt, she lets out a sad sigh. "Can I climb in with you?" She asks, I've noticed in the last month she hasn't been sleeping well. Even when we first returned to the village she was restless, tossing and turning every few minutes.

She's used to sleeping by my side at night from traveling around looking for Kevin, I reach out for her and she slides into bed next to me allowing me to pull her as close to my side as possible.

"Dean, I love you." She whispers out to me, I'm about to return the words to her when there's a horrendous banging on the front door.

In a flash both of us are out of bed and running for the door.

"Temple escaped and the midnight patrol just made an urgent return, Temple is about to allow demons into the village. We don't know that she's gotten to the demons yet." Alison informs as soon as the door is open.

"Dean, go get your father and brother-

"Dean! You're mother is in labor!" Rachel's loud scream pierces the night. "Nat, I can't leave my mother-

"Go, I've got this…Alison, put together the best guards on the team and get the peace keepers….and Charlie." Nat orders to the young red head, she nods, the red head streaks off into the night going to fetch everyone Nathalia ordered her to.

"Nathalia, you can't-

"Dean, I have a village to help protect. I may end up having to kill Temple, if I do, you're going to have to set the village straight. Half of them think I'm guilty." She urges giving me a pathetic look.

"I will not let them think you're guilty….be careful, and do what you have to in order to live another day?" I reply to her, I press a kiss to her lips and she tears off into the night wearing nothing but a sports bra and a pair of jogging shorts. The only weapon she has is the forty five I brought out of the bedroom and the demon knife off of the dining room table.

Nathalia pov

By the time I reach the outer gates the team has been organized and is on high alert.

"Where's Charlie?" I ask. "Rachel says she's still to injured to go into battle. It's just us." Alison explains trying to sound apologetic and less demanding.

"Okay, everyone is armed?" I ask. "Of course." One of the guards announces sarcastically, hearing that I take lead out the slightly opened gates.

"She ran down this way, she's down by the fish pond." Tanner, one of our senior guards informs. "Let's go." I order taking off bare foot and barely armed into the dark forest, this probably wasn't my best idea ever, let's go out into battle not wearing any kind of protective gear, hardly any weapons and bare foot to face off an enemy you know is armed plus a team of demons.

Alison pov

Just as we're rounding the corner down into the fish pond Nathalia stops, down below near the pond stands Temple and about six demons. All of which are crossroads, Temple stands watching up at us with a huge smile on her face.

"It was a trap, she wanted to be seen." Nathalia informs. "I'm sorry." I whisper to her, she shakes her head no.

"Don't be, this had to end eventually….we're going down there into battle. Be strong." Nathalia urges, with that she's running again and I can't help but think how much like Dean she is. Even I feel nervous as I follow after her, but she seems fearless.

Dean pov

"She's fine Dean, it's not gonna be a pleasant night though." Dad says as I reach the front porch. "Why? Is something wrong?" I demand trying to get around him. "No son, you're mother is going into labor with absolutely nothing to ease the pain." Dad explains as he guides me over to Sam who's sitting with a very nervous Anna both waiting for any news on mom and the baby.

"Where's Nat?" Sam asks. "She just lead a team of guards out of the gates, Temple is trying to lead demons here." I inform, Sam's eyes get wide.

Nathalia pov

Another demon drops to the ground dead at the same exact moment Alison and two guards drop the last one. The only person not amongst the dead is Temple, looking back to the path leading down here I see Temple standing there with a yellow eyed demon, a very familiar yellow eyed demon.

"The baby." I gasp as my blood runs cold. "Nathalia wait!" Alison screams after me as I take off after Temple and the yellow eyed demon.

I'll never beat them back to the village, but maybe, just maybe I can get Dean's attention and warm him.

Dean pov

"Do you guys smell smoke?" Anna asks looking around; I sniff the air and cringe. "I do." I reply looking towards the gate Nathalia left through. Far out in the night I see a massive pine tree fully ablaze, instantly I believe Nat is trying to warn me of something.

"Dad gimme your gun." I demand of him, he looks confused but hands me his gun anyhow. I fire off three shots into the air and then wait.

"What's going on?" Dad asks. "Nat's out there trying to warn us of something." I inform, just as I finish speaking I hear the distinct sound of the colt ring out into the night.

Demons, I think she means demons are heading back this way, but how?

Nathalia pov

I got two reply shots fired as I ran back towards camp, now I'm bursting into the village to see a huge fight going on outside the cabin. Mary's pained screams can be heard all the way outside the city walls, the villager's are locked inside while demons and hunters are in the village fighting each other.

The yellow eyed demon is at the back corner of the Cabin holding a torch near the room Mary is in.

"NO!" I scream taking off towards the cabin. "Dean, Alistair is about to Torch you're mother room!" I scream as I tackle Temple to the ground. Dean turns back for the cabin running around the outside as John and Sam finish taking down another few demons with Charlie's help.

John runs back for the water pump that pulls water from the water to the cabins and fills up a few buckets handing them off to the three hunters we call family. Samuel is here now with Mark, and Gwen, they get in on helping to get the fire out as Temple kicks me in the stomach sending me flying back.

"You stupid bitch! How could you do this to everyone?!" Temple screams as thunder slams over head.

"I didn't do this and you know it, and now the whole village knows!" I shout at her, she glares back at me.

"You're lying Nathalia, I went to the river to get the knife I left there earlier only to be captured by demons that you sent out here!" Temple shouts back stringing a bow with an arrow aimed right for my heart.

"You're a fool Temple." I scoff pulling the colt out, but I realize the colt isn't loaded, fuck, armature mistake.

"Forget something?" Temple taunts holding up my desert eagle, she tosses it out onto the ground between us and then gives me a challenging grin. If I go for my gun she'll fly the arrow, if I stand here she'll fly the arrow, it's just a matter of who's faster on the draw.

I can hear the other's distracted with Alistair and unable to help me now, which is exactly what Temple wanted.

"Dean! Go to Nathalia!" I hear John shout to Dean just as I decide to take my chances and go for the gun, I catch the gun, the snapping of the bows string tells me the arrow is set free. The next thing I hear is Dean yelling for me as an arrow stabs into my back. I leap back just as Temple strings another arrow and flies it at me, but I pull the trigger on my gun. However, two shots ring out.

My shot actually misses her but the shot from Dean's nine millimeter gun strikes Temple right in the heart.

She makes a choking sound as she looks to Dean. "You shot me, how…how could you, she did this." Temple chokes out touching the blood gushing from her chest.

"She's innocent, we've all known since the moment you started this." Dean replies then fires another shot into her head. She hits the ground, rain comes pouring down around us, just when I fear that this night has ended the worst way possible.

I hear the screaming of a new Winchester Child, Mary has successfully beat the odds once again and brought another child into the world.

And people say I'm amazing?

Dean pov

"Nathalia?!" I shout her name as I get to her side; she reaches back and pulls the arrow out of her back, her sports bra slides forward barely covering her now.

"And you said you hated bra hooks." Nathalia laughs sounding more relieved than amused, I glance down to the arrow where the heavy duty metal of the hooks has almost completely stopped the arrow from hitting her in the back.

"Dean…Come meet you new baby sister. Elizabeth." Dad calls from the front porch. Okay this night went from chaotic and terrible to wonderful. I have a baby sister, lord help me I have a little sister….I HAVE A BABY SISTER! YEAH! The thought takes a few tries to sink in but when it does I'm feeling excited beyond words, I haven't been this happy since Sammy was born.

"Here." I say to Nat as I hand her my jacket, she zips it on then takes my hand as I drag her towards the cabin.

Mary pov

My new daughter is currently in Sam's arms when John returns with Dean and Nathalia, my father and cousins are looking on as well with smiles on their faces.

"Aw, she looks just like you Mary." Nathalia squeals excitedly, looking at me. "Is everything okay out there?" I ask her, she smiles. "Everything is fine, congrats." She says to me as Sam decides to hand Elizabeth to Nathalia.

The warrior tense up the same way I did when Dean was first handed to me but just as I did she relaxes and instantly falls in love.

"Elizabeth Winchester…aren't you just the most gorgeous baby girl." Nathalia whispers as Dean moves in closer to see his baby sister, he's the one John and I are worried about, he wasn't happy about Sam at first, and according to Sam he was pissed when they found out about Adam.

"What's that Lizzy? Sammy's not the baby of the family anymore?" Dean teases as Nathalia hands her off to Dean. "Thank god for that." Sam mutters. "Yes but we're still gonna call you Sammy, okay big brother?" Nathalia teases leaning over the bed to hug Sam, he returns the gesture as John steps out the door to greet the villagers who are outside waiting.

"It's a girl! Elizabeth Winchester!" He announces proud as I've ever seen him in a long time.

"I don't think this night could have ended any better." Anna squeals excitedly as it's her turn to hold Liz.

"Actually, it can. I decoded the tablet." Kevin says entering the cabin behind John, we all look his way with wide eyes.

"Already?" Charlie questions as Rachel is re stitching some of the wounds on her shoulder caused by the bear and continuous attempts at trying to fight.

"This had best be the last time I stitch you up, got it?" Rachel growls, she goes ignored for the time being.

"Yeah, and now that Temple led the demons here. We have everything we need to work the spell, now it's not what we thought. It won't lock demons back in hell, it won't put heaven back, but it'll destroy the virus for good, and it will replace the lives that we're lost due to the virus and put everything back the way it was before we screwed things up." Kevin explains.

"What about all this? Does it all go away?" I ask in a panic at the thought of losing Elizabeth so soon after she's born.

"No, every child born after the disaster will stay, everyone that has a reason to remember all this will remember, those who simply wish to forget will not remember anything. However, that's only pertaining to things that are entirely human." Kevin says looking at Nathalia who's got a smidge of Dominatrix blood running through her veins.

"Do you know what happens to things that aren't?" I ask. "No, there's nothing like that written in the fine print sadly. It just says all that is human will remain as they we're or shall forget if they so chose." Kevin explains to everyone, Dean and Nathalia look at each other and give a sad look.

"Dean, I'm certain that this is the end of the road for us….we knew it was a possibility." Nathalia says, and tears well up in my eyes, how could this happen? Those two have been through so much already, Dean will remember her but she won't remember him? That's terrible.

"Then we won't-

"Dean, we have to. The way I see this, if we were meant for each other, then even when things are fixed we'll find our way back home." Nathalia amends, Dean doesn't argue he just nods once…


	14. Chapter 14

Echo on the wind chapter 14

All get's better in time

Nathalia pov

'OOOOOH TIMES A WASTIN!' My alarm clock radio shouts much too loud, god last night was a long night, I stayed up all night at the bar down the street drinking.

I sit up and look out to the Kansas city street where cars are driving by, that ridiculous looking wedding dress is still hanging up in my closet, it's like…native American looking but somehow unlike last night when I came home it really seems to mean a lot to me.

"Sam! Don't forget the pie this time!" I hear someone shouting outside and can't help but laugh, some things never change…wait what?

Casstiel pov

The last thing I remember is that first drop of Alistair's blood and Crowley's blood hitting the spell mixture, the fates appeared newly resurrected and then a flash of angels light had us standing in the middle of the Kansas street. Dean holding a football about to throw it at Sam, John yelling at Sam to not forget the pie this time. Mary is standing by the impala holding little Elizabeth, Kevin is in the car poking Charlie who's shouting at John that Kevin is begin a jerk again.

This is exactly how things we're seconds before Adam released Croatoan virus, I wonder what was supposed to happen instead of the virus outbreak.

"Trust me; we fates are indebted to the Winchester's. Tell us, is there anyone missing?" The fate Druid asks whilst fidgeting with her glasses and adjusting how her book is being held.

"There's two missing, Anna, Sam's girlfriend, and Nathalia Dean's girlfriend." I inform the fate; she just smiles and shakes her head no.

"They aren't missing…just you watch and wait. And you should know, no one remembers anything except you and Gadriel, oh and the Winchesters." Druid says, then vanishes, the world around me starts spinning again and everyone goes into Motion.

Sam is standing outside a hotel room and stops to turn back and yell at John when Dean throws the foot ball.

"Sammy!" Mary yelps, Sam looks and hits the deck, the football goes flying through the window and I hear someone inside curse. Thirty seconds later Nathalia comes walking out wearing a black leather tube top that only covers her chest and a black leather mini skirt. She has two spiked leather belts wrapped around her exposed mid section, and she's pissed!

"What the fuck?! What's it take for a woman to get any sleep around here?!" She shouts instantly punching Sam in the jaw.

"Hey! What is wrong with you lady? It was an accident." Anna comes jogging over wearing a pair of skin tight elastic yoga pants and a sports bra.

Nathalia looks over to Dean then back down at Anna, she's standing there for the longest time just thinking. You can almost see the light bulb turn on above her head.

"Dean, Sam…Anna." Nathalia laughs, a breath of relief leaves Mary and John's lips.

"Holy crap look at this." Nathalia smiles looking around the city, across the street are the two guys who helped dig almost the entire water feature, Alison is running the coffee shop. And Temple is standing behind a police cruiser handcuffed.

"We've got a fifty one fifty, we caught the stalker for case number…

"That explains a lot." Sam comments as his older brother goes to Nathalia and plants a firm kiss on her lips. "So this is how we we're supposed to meet? That's awesome." Nathalia laughs when Dean pulls away.

"Yeah, question is, how were we supposed to fall in love. You look like more of a bitch now than you did when we met…speaking of where is Bobby and the others?" Dean says looking back at me and Gadriel.

"Inside getting lunch for everyone." John responds.

"So what about the apocalypse then? What about all that?" Anna asks, I look around the windy city and smile peacefully.

"All just and Echo on the wind….


End file.
